Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She used to mark the days on the wall. The days, the years, all spent in darkness. The longer it went on, the less she seemed to care. Besides, there wasn't enough wall left. Hearing her back crack as she stretched, the withered woman cursed under her breath and moved to the other end of her cell. This was routine; waiting for food, before retreating into the furthest corner to devour her meagre meal like she were a rat. A disgusting way to live. No, worse, it was pitiful. 

"My time will come." It was the mantra that kept her through the days soaked in sweat and sick. Slowly, she started to muster up that same old signature laugh, the one that used to make people tremble. In response, the guards outside struck the gate with their fists, cutting it short. With a squeak, she skittered away.

"Snake," one murmured.

She felt her shoulder shake as she stifled another laugh. Snakes were crafty. Beautiful, even. No matter how long they waited or how much skin had been shed, they always got their prey.

Much to her chagrin, she had little else to do other than listen to the idle chatter as the guards swapped shifts, passing on the responsibility to another unlucky soul. It was the same old drivel - one was going on paternity leave, another had started a long distance relationship with a Water Tribe belle, the usual. Back in the old days, some had even had the nerve to try to provoke her, but those that did were swiftly replaced. She was to be ignored. Forgotten. But she did not fade away so easily.

She heard the ruffle of bars, and along with her food came the whisper. The sweetest of songs that her crooked ears had been dying to hear for the longest time. 

"All hail Fire Lord Azula."

She picked up the bowl, the dead eyes of a half cooked fish stared back at her. It was swiftly discarded, left to rot with the rest of her dignity. Looking closely at the rice, she saw a shimmer of red and pulled the object with all the care she could muster. It was like being handed a diamond ring.

Grinning, she placed it at the base of the bars, before adopting a pose long since dulled yet never discarded. Her rusty joints cracking back into place as she extended her fist out, embers starting to form around her knuckles. She had been out of practise for many a year, that kind of lapse would cripple a lesser firebender, but she was not lesser. She was Azula.

The embers extended out to the red cylinder, and soon all was caught in a glorious blaze. The guards barely had a moment to react before prisoner was consumed in a veil of flame. 

No, she would not fade away.

The explosion was small, but its impact was cataclysmic. The Boiling Rock was soon on high alert, and the sound of hundreds of feet could be heard clambering their way through the corridors. When word spread of whose cell has been torched, panic began to set it.

As the fiery commotion continued to brew, Azula made her way along familiar hallways, cracking her neck in some much needed places. She was already eighty-eight, her body decrepit, but she knew that it would be enough. Adjusting her eyes to the false light of the prison's interior, she was encroached upon by the the cattle that were the approaching guards, gathering together in a half-baked defensive formation. She let her smile resonate. There was fear in their eyes. 

Without hesitation, she charged forward. On reflex, the guards' unleashed waves of fire from their fists. However, to their shock, the half-dead prisoner tossed herself over the flames with unsightly grace and landed right before them, like a spider baring its fangs. It was enough to break the guards' formation, and she took the chance to raise her leg, bringing it down with a trail of fire in its wake. Two poor souls felt the full brunt of it, as blue flames melted their armour and consumed their flesh. Not giving them a chance to rest, she began to let out a slew of familiar movements. Muscle memory did not fail her, and soon the blue fire consumed the entire corridor. Some resisted, but ultimately they were saplings by comparison. The few that managed to outrun her reach were already fleeing for their lives, screaming for help.

It didn't take her long to find the designated escape route; something else that she had pieced together from decades of gathered whispers fed to her by what little influence she still retained. Kicking down the door, she slid out and peered up at the dark skies above. Embracing the outside, she took a moment to savour the taste of freedom, before looking back to see the entirety of the reconstructed Boiling Rock clambering after her. Without hesitation, she leapt into the open night, sliding down the wall and weaving her way alone the outside of the prison, flames spitting from her feet, allowing her to glide along like a stone skimmed over a pond, flinging herself across the bubbling waters below, dancing her way to her escape. 

The crimson airship was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. As the wind howled in her ears, Azula sent herself hurtling towards the ground, jettisoning herself with fresh bursts of flame. Her heart thundering in her ears, the rest became something of a blur; the few guards that were posted soon cut to melted ribbons, the crew not faring much better as she climbed aboard. With a new fire churning in her belly, she stormed her way onto the front deck, every face she encountered soon turning to ashes, save for the dainty little thing that watched her colleagues lose their bodies to the old woman's wrath.

Azula's haggard voice whispering into her ear. 

"Fly."

And just like that they were airborne, the pilot too concerned about if she was ever going to see her fiancé again to worry about taking the world's most dangerous criminal to who-knows-where. The echo of Azula's humming whirling around the cabin along with the charred remains of her colleagues. 

Asami was pacing, more than usual. This was largely due to her not being in the best of headspaces. A strong sigh took over, and despite knowing she would regret it, snagged an emergency glass of brandy and inhaled its dark contents.

Their apartment was relatively small, at least when you considered her income. She spent all her time around vast factories and navigating commissions and investments on a massive scale, so it paid to have something cosy to call her own, one right in the heart of Republic City.

Korra was coming back today. It was supposed to be yesterday, but it seemed that issues in the Fire Nation were more extensive that either one of them had realised. In fact, everything these days felt extensive. Korra headed to Ba Sing Se to help the locals deal with a rowdy spirit or two; ends up sanctioning a wedding. Tries to take the quickest route back home; gets roped into hunting down a rogue militia, with time enough to become the guest of honour at a banquet in a neighbouring town. It never seemed to end. 

Another sip. 

Was that selfish of her? To want to spend more time with the person she adored? The goodwill of their first anniversary had yet to fade, but the distance of Korra's travels had started to weigh in on her more and more. As the head of Future Industries, her schedule was the furthest thing from spacious, but she had the luxury of walking away when the moment called for it. Her beloved had no such luck. Then again, having to spend an extra week away just to judge the annual Penguin-Sledding Competition between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes - that grated her a little.

Poor Mako and Bolin, having to endure her rants over their various meets up, especially when she dipped into the sake and the conversation came to Korra. She should really apologise for that. Maybe offer an upgrade on that old Satomobile model Mako continued to parade around. Vintage, he called it. 

Her stream of thoughts were interrupted by the welcome tone of the telephone, neatly perched on the table next to her, alongside a picture containing a snapshot of the rather giggly couple attending a royal ball at the Fire Nation. Good times.

Asami snatched up the receiver. 

"Hello?" 

"Oh spirits, it's good to hear your voice!" 

Asami felt herself smile. 

"This is unexpected."

"Unexpectedly good?" 

"Hearing your voice is never not good, silly" Asami responded. "How are you? I'm shocked they actually have a phone on a Fire Nation zeppelin. Guess they're finally following in Zaofu's footsteps."

"Uh...yeah."

"Korra?" Asami asked. "Is everything okay?" 

The echoes of automobiles and hurried chatter flooded out of the end of the receiver. A few growls and vulgarities too. Painting a picture of an unpleasant scene. Asami was sure she heard the words "guards" and "take them away." 

"Where are you right now?" 

A pause. 

"Well, you see, the thing is..." 

The earth rose up, taking the air out of the thug's lungs, having never experienced the force of earthbending before. Winded and wounded, it didn't take long for the authorities to rush over and ensnare him, leading him back to his little collective, all of whom were bound, pressed to the ground, each of their faces inked or marked with what appeared to be flame patterns. All of which were crudely painted on.

"Apologies Avatar, we won't let him out of our sight again," one of the officers said. 

Adorned in her traditional Water Tribe clothing, exposing muscle and beauty to all onlookers, her hair long and winding in the dusty air, Avatar Korra withdrew her stance, offering the officer a weak wave as they dragged their quarry away, leaving her alone with the public telephone. 

"I may be delayed a little bit longer, something...came up just as I was heading to the airship."

Another pause.

"Something that involved violence and explosions?" Asami asked.

"No, of course not!" she insisted, only for her body stiffen as the sound of a nearby streetlight fell down and shattered against the scorched earth. The view behind her the aftermath of a battleground littered in burn marks and shards of stone courtesy of her excessive use of earth-bending. "Okay, maybe there was one explosion." 

"Korra." 

"I swear I didn't go looking for trouble! I was on my way to grab my flight and-"

"Trouble found you?"

"Exactly!" 

"Trouble that led to things exploding, that you now have to clean up."

"Exactly!"

"And I won't be seeing you for a while because it's your duty to fix every little thing." 

Korra's words failed her for a moment as she tried to conjure up a rebuttal, but came up empty.

"I'm sorry it always ends up like this."

"No, please, don't," there was an audible shudder on the other end. "That wasn't fair, I'm sorry. You're the Avatar. You fix things. It's what I love the most about you." 

"What about my winning smile?" 

"Don't push your luck."

"Sorry."

Asami's laugh trickled out, sweet as honey. 

"I guess we've been through this dance so many times, I just hoped the world would leave you alone for a bit. But that's just selfish."

"It's not selfish. We're allowed to see each other, we deserve it," Korra added. "It's just, sometimes..."

"The world gets its way?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

The sloshing of brandy could be heard filling the contents of the glass on the other end of the line. 

"Do you know when you'll be back?"

"If I hurry, I can probably find an airship to take me across-"

Her train of thought was severed when a gloved hand grasped her shoulder. The shock was so sudden that Korra almost unleashed another barrage of earthbending in response, only to find herself looking up the face of what she assumed was a Fire Nation official. His face pale. 

"Korra? What's wrong?"

Korra still felt the sting inside her, as she recalled the fresh memory of her departure. In her mind; the shadow of a very distressed Asami. She hid it well, as any good CEO should. Concern for the masses always took precedence over the wiles of the heart, that was just the way things were. An Avatar's duty. While it was apparently Asami's duty was to support the ever increasing distance between them. Not that she could completely disguise the sourness in her voice.  

"You have to go."

"But-"

"This is too important to ignore. You are the Avatar. You belong to the world, not just me."

Korra tried to push such thoughts to the back of her mind as she was transported towards the ancient prison known as the Boiling Rock. It was a fortress that had doubled in size multiple times over across the decades. Upon landing, a familiar face greeted her, one that was ravaged by concern.

"Avatar."

"Lord Zuko" she responded with a faint nod. 

"We already have a suspect in custody that aided Azula in her escape, he's just about to be interrogated."

The two old souls walked along the path towards the entrance, all the while Korra could not help but notice the faces of the guards. Sorrow and shame painted across them like they had been hit by a branding iron.

"What happened here?"

"It seems my sister was able to break free of her binds due to a guard smuggling in some kind of explosive material. We were too careless to think that in her old age she would have given up her ideals of conquest. Though I suppose madness such as hers can hardly be cured."

"I've heard the stories."

"The history books do her an injustice. Her mind was as wicked as it was cunning. She brought the Earth Kingdom to its knees almost single-handed. Though time may have made her body weaker, I fear what pain shall be wrought in the name of her revenge," a shallow breath escaped him. "She must be stopped."

"Guess we had better focus on finding her. Think this turncoat knows anything?"

"If he does, we'll get it out of him."

The guard in question was a strikingly handsome man, save for the burns and bruises that now coated his face. Seemed his old colleagues weren't particularly impressed with his recent venture. 

"This was found in his personal quarters," one of the guards stated as he handed a large book to Korra.

Bound to the ground in a large stone room with several benders surrounding him, the accused looked like a child that had been caught playing in the mud, awaiting the strictest of punishments. Korra turned her attention to the pages between the well-worn binder, a random page revealing a variety of drawings and miniature copies of ancient paintings.

"This is Azula?" she asked Zuko, referring to an image of a beautiful woman with a devilish smile.

"In her youth, yes," Zuko said, the disdain all too evident as he glanced across at some of the images that appeared to be rushed doodles of their escapee, all exaggerated to express flirtatious intentions. He turned his attention to the prisoner. "You have one chance to tell me everything you know regarding her whereabouts. Where is she heading? What is she after? Every last sordid word you two ever exchanged. Comply and at the very least you won't share in her fate."

"Lord Zuko, we have these as well," the guard added, handing over a series of papers to the pair. "Seems they were exchanging letters in secret. They are all dated, and match up with his schedule from the past few years."

"A real affair, huh?" Korra muttered as he looked at the accused, who was now profusely sweating. 

She began to read one of the letters aloud. "My Princess. My Phoenix Queen. Your sweet words have taken a hold of my heart. I cannot deny I too long to see you return to the ways of your youth and lead our people to their former glory. Those of us who believe dwindle by the day, but I am the one constant. I shall free you from this wretched place."

"You fool," Zuko interjected. "She is a master manipulator, she will twist any weak heart with fanciful words and false promises."

A murmur from the prisoner tempted Korra to keep reading.

"This is a recent entry, only a month ago," she added "To my Fire Lord, I now have a way to free you. I will sneak in the key to your salvation to your very lips. I shall not rest until you are unchained. As for what you seek, the easiest way is through the..." her heart began to sink. "The Southern Water Tribe?"

Before Zuko could even intervene, Korra had taken the man by the scruff of his collar and lifted him off the floor with relative ease. Her eyes were no longer gentle, they were fierce, hardened. 

"What does Azula want at the Southern Water Tribe?! What is she after?!" 

"...her," was the only word that she managed to catch, before she growled and slammed his whole body to the floor, a pained cry echoing out in response.

"Answer me!"

"I...will not betray her!"

Korra grit her teeth.

"I swear, if you don't tell me what I want to know in the next five seconds..." she warned, her grip tightening. 

"Korra," Zuko spoke out, voice laced with age old authority, holding out another sheet of paper. "I think we can guess what she is after. This fool was kind enough to write it down."

Snatching it out of his hands, Korra began to read through the writing as fast as possible. Confusion crossed her face, even as she read it aloud. "My dearest Azula, your words of love will not be wasted. Behold the fruits of my labour. This is everything I have learned surrounding its legend. The path is treacherous, located deep within the Spirit World, but I have no doubt you will succeed. Simply follow the path of snow to the south." 

"It appears that my sister seeks to head to the Spirit World through the Southern Water Tribe, but for what reason I cannot fathom."

"Hold on." Korra grabbed the rest of the papers and scanned some of the entries she had already read aloud, browsing over the words like it were a lock, and a specific passage was a key that could untangle its heinous secrets. And sure enough, she soon found her answer, and it was one that made her previous anger melt away. Replaced by a visceral sense of dread. "I know what she's after."

Chapter Text

Despite the decades since the Hundred Year War, a Fire Nation airship landing in the Southern Water Tribe always brought about a sense of tension. Even more so if it was unannounced. The children, the elderly and the non-benders were all informed to take shelter immediately. They were a little ways off from civilisation, but there were still a few settlements in the immediate vicinity. In response, a small group of the village's more capable warriors stepped forward, the nervousness on their faces even visible amidst the frost.

As the vehicle came to ground with a rather ungraceful landing, the passenger compartment slowly opened. There were a few moments of frigid silence, before the burning remnants of the young pilot were tossed out onto the snow. Her bone fragments soon scattered away in the icy wind.

Taking advantage of the landing party's horror, Azula let loose a shower of flames from the belly of the airship. Much to her displeasure it only managed cut through two of them. She groaned as the cold conditions combined with the pain of her overexerted body caused her bending to fall below par.

Not one to be beaten, she dashed forward and tackled the first waterbender she came across; a rather beefy individual whose strength would have easily snapped her frail form, if she didn't happen to cough up a whole slew of fire and turn his skull into soup. The remaining two were agile little things, and soon Azula found herself getting battered with what felt like an endless barrage of water and ice, the pressure sending her flying across the snow, her old bones close to cracking from the impact.

"Disgusting peasants!" she hissed.

Forcing herself to her feet, she raised a hand and began to channel all the remaining warmth in her body to her palm. This sensation, the power that came from splitting the atoms in the air, taking hold of the forces of nature, bending it to her will. Oh yes, she had missed this. With a murderous flare in her eyes, lightning poured forth from her fingertips.

Korra and Zuko had expected civilians to be fleeing in terror and a rapid-fire military response to the arrival of the former Princess. Instead, all that was left to greet them upon their arrival to the Southern Water Tribe was a small graveyard. The frozen surroundings had just about managed to quell the flames that had soaked through the settlements, but no amount of snow could disguise the bodies that lay lifeless in the cold. Young and old, their bodies blown to pieces. It was a sight Korra knew she would be seeing in her nightmares.

"So many snatched away. To think for a time I truly had forgotten just what she was capable of," Zuko lamented. Behind him, several of his personal guard came funnelling out of his personal airship, investigation the devastation in hopes of survivors.

"We...can't be thinking about that now," Korra choked out as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "We don't have a lot of time left, she might already be at the Spirit Portal."

"Go. We will spread out to the surrounding villages and set up defensive perimeters. If she's already made it to the Spirit World, then it's up to" he said, placing his worn hands on her shoulders. "Hold nothing back, you cannot give her an inch, otherwise it will be the end of us all."

Korra nodded before letting out a whistle. Heavy thuds soon filled the cold night as out of the airship appeared the beautiful white fur of Naga. Running towards her companion, Korra swiftly leapt onto the hybrid's back, eyes already set towards their destination.

"I won't fail."

The Spirit World made Azula's stomach turn, like she had just slipped into a lucid dream. The colors, the way it affected her senses, how the air seemed to crackle in her very presence, it made her insides shiver. She had no record of how long she had been walking, but then again the passing of moments had become a broken concept since her incarceration. Her battered legs eventually came to a stop, feeling the shadow of the entity before her. It was even more awe-inspiring than any whispers could ever hope to describe. 

"The Tree of Time."

What was once Vaatu's prison was now vacant, unguarded and very much for the taking. Trudging towards the sacred flora, Azula began to feel the weight of herself for the first time in decades. That tiny room of dark and damp had quelled her flames, dulled her beauty, and robbed her of any and all lustre that once radiated off her like the sun. She grasped at her gray strands of hair with disdain.

"Not long now," she hissed as she approached the base of the tree. "I'll taste my youth again before the dawn breaks."

"Don't count on it!"

The gust felt like a hammer, and when it struck her side, Azula was taken along by its current, crashing to the earth unceremoniously. Coughing out the pain, her instincts kicked in and forced her back to her feet. Good thing too, since the earth began to spit up random pillars that just barely missed her flesh. With a snarl and snap of her hand, blue flames blanketed her horizon, giving her a moment to recover and set her sights on her attacker. She growled as Korra stood before her, her body low to the ground, immovable like a mountain.

"The Avatar. I see you finally hit puberty, look how manly you've become," she scoffed. 

"It's over Azula, you're not setting a foot inside the Tree of Time," Korra responded, earning her a sharp cackle.

"I see you're just as high-strung as you were when you had an arrow tattooed on your head. Well, listen up, new blood. Whatever advantage you think you have over me, you can forget. I was setting cities ablaze long before you were wetting yourself in the snow."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Korra said as she swerved her feet to the side and reached deep inside herself and the ground below. "The way I hear it, you were getting stomped by Zuko and Katara even back in your heyday. Tell me, how does it feel to know you lost so badly? To be worse than a peasant" she said slowly, letting the words dig in like a razor's edge. "To be nothing."

Hatred and fire consumed Azula's eyes, and with a haggard cry let loose a stream of fire. It did little to change Korra's expression, who side stepped the attack, before bringing up her entire body up in a surging motion, causing a wide wall of earth to rise up into Azula's midsection. 

"You...brat!"

Even mid-fall, the flames kept coming, but Korra was still a step ahead, weaving through and countering with short bursts of air as well as shielding herself with barriers of stone. Eventually, she closed the distance and let her fists fly. 

Still stunned from the pain in her abdomen, the first punch made its mark and nearly knocked Azula's jaw off. However, it didn't take her long to respond. Even at such close distance, she didn't hesitate to let loose her flames. 

"You're weak Azula," Korra said, before countering Azula's fire-laced punch with another burst of airbending, pushing her onto her back once again. "Whatever you were in Aang's time is long past, you don't have a hope against me" she warned.

The look on Azula's face was closer to that of an animal than a person. Grasping for air, she just about brought herself to her swollen and scalded feet. 

"What I was?" Her flames didn't seem to be responding to her, but still she persisted in trying to conjure that beautiful blue. "What I was, what I am, is royalty. I am the true Fire Lord. The one who brought down Ba Sing Se." The flames began to grow, coating her arms and even licking at her face. "I am Azula! Princess of the Fire Nation! And...you...will...BURN!"

Blue flames lashed out. A coiling, azure serpent. One so intense that Korra could feel strands of her hair singe. Everything before her eyes spelled doom, but still she did not falter. With a sudden breath, she took a new stance, one that she had practised since she was a child. Brilliant orange flames embracing her own hand. With a mighty battle cry she let loose a burst of firebending, meeting its opposition and resulting in a titanic clash of flame, the two feasting on each other. At least, for a moment, until the blue fire soon found itself swallowed by its brighter counterpart. 

Azula felt a familiar fear fill her gut, as her own flames faded before the overwhelming might of her opponent's. One whose eyes began to glow with the light of a thousand suns.

Imbued by the Avatar State, Korra's firebending soon cut through earth, cloth and screams. 

The heat eventually dispersed, as did the light in Korra's eyes. Walking along the scorched ground, no sign of hesitance in her face, she approached the crumpled Azula. Her fists still clenched in case the elderly escapee hadn't had her fix yet. Though from the way her body was sprawled on the ground, layered with fresh burns, that seemed doubtful 

"It's over." The words were final, spoken with absolute authority, and earned something of an unexpected response.

A low, grading sound that erupted from the back of Azula's throat. It grew and grew in volume until she realised that the old woman was actually crying. It was a pitiable look, and the last thing Korra had thought someone of Azula's infamy would be reduced to

"It's not fair!" Azula wept as she looked up at the Avatar, now appearing older than ever. "I had it all! I had the world! I was respected and feared, and now I am less than mud! I live inside my own grave! Never allowed to taste the open air, never allowed to see my home! I've been tortured by time, eaten away by it!" she screamed as she hammered at the earth with crippled fists. "The world cannot do this to me!"

In truth, Korra didn't know what to feel. The sight of this elderly woman expressing such sorrow was something that would have earned her full captivation, yet she knew who she was facing. She did, however, take a long stride forward towards her.

"Come on. I'm taking you back," she warned.

A hollow pause. 

"Back?" Azula's eyes peered up, and while they were consumed by tears and droplets of blood, she none the less held the look of a fearsome beast. Her nails broke as she gripped the ground beneath. "The only thing I'm going back to...is...my birthright!" she snapped, swing her arm up, and from along her fingers came the crackle, and eventual burst, of lightning. 

Korra's eyes widened. Years of facing down the worst the world had to offer made her wary of fallen foes, of both the truly defeated, and those waiting for the chance to bite the hand of mercy. It had been a lesson of hard knocks, but one that had sharpened her reflexes to new heights. Almost without thinking, she leaned back whilst bringing up her right knee; the vigorous motion causing a small pillar of earth to sprout from the ground and strike Azula's wrist. A snap was heard, but there was no time for screams as the disjointed hand veered off, the lightning following like a loyal dog.

Only to head right into the heart of the Tree of Time, where its ancient bark began to combust.

The aftermath was filled with shimmering light, piercing sound, and a shock-wave that sent Korra flying back like a rag doll, while Azula was anchored in place. As the tree itself began to splinter, a pulsating energy began to spill out like someone had shattered a cauldron, its otherworldly contents pouring forth with the lone strand of lightning acting as the tether. The force was indescribable. Korra could barely see as her eyes were assaulted by the unnatural light, but still spotted Azula's frame, stranded like an island amidst a storm. If she was screaming it was impossible to hear. But like all storms, it soon ended, leaving Korra gasping for breath as she tried to muster the strength to stand, only to witness the ruination before her eyes. 

"Oh no." 

What had once been a grand structure stretching far and wide was now a broken husk, with many of its branches missing. A pale imitation of its former splendour, the Tree of Time had been reduced to a smouldering wreck by the hands of the living.

Korra's sadness soon shifted to rage, frantically looking around, only to find that that the wayward princess had vanished from sight. "Azula!" she snapped, voice tremoring, a wounded wolf. "You'll pay for this! Come out and face me!" she howled, only to be greeted by smoke and silence. "AZULA!" 

"Who's hiding?"

The kick blindsighted Korra, completely and utterly. Air left her lungs as she was launched backwards, feeling like she had just been struck by a metalbender. Her face left kissing the ash-coated earth, Korra desperately tried to pull herself, only to freeze as a new figure entered her hazy view. 

The remains of the prison rags were still drenched over her body, though now filled out to a more substantial degree. Even from a casual glance, it was clear that barely any of it was fat, rather, all of it appeared to be toned muscle forged from rigorous training and pure genetics. What was once wrinkled was now smoothed, and what was once grey had now become a deep auburn. But above all else, what had changed the most was her mouth; now curved into a smile unlike Korra had ever seen.

"A...Azula?"

The smile deepened, followed by a heel coated in hellish flames.

Chapter Text

Tenzin would have been proud. Just before the blazing heel came crashing down on her skull, Korra exhaled a breath of such magnitude that it sent her body flying back. Seemed all those lessons and lectures and meditation sessions that he had coerced her into during her rebellious years had actually paid off.

With her throat and nostrils burning from the sudden use of such forceful airbending, Korra staggered to her feet. What greeted her was the sight of an unbruised, unbroken and ever so youthful Azula, who despite her knotted and unwashed hair, remained utterly picturesque, with the exception of an unwavering, serpentine smile, followed by a laugh unburdened by age.

"Marvellous." With a flick of her wrist, Azula summoned a deep blue flame, one whose color and ferocity were ten times greater than before. The fire danced in her eyes, gazing over it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. "What an illustrious gift you have given me, Avatar."

The impact of Korra's fist was staggering, but nothing compare to Azula's reaction. With a single motion, her arm had blocked the incoming punch. Not once did her eyes drift from the fire in her hand.

"I suppose I should show you my gratitude," Azula replied, side-stepping in an instant and causing Korra to stagger, leaving plenty of room for Azula's leg to reach its mark by smashing into the Avatar's side.

Spluttering, Korra had barely any time to react before a blizzard of blows befell her. With speed and reflexes beyond anything she had seen before, Korra soon found herself on the receiving end of a plethora of heavy punches that managed to slip her guard. It was a deadly dance built on such relentless precision that she had no time to repel it her with bending. As she felt her jaw shake from a rather nasty uppercut, Korra mustered whatever strength was left and forced both her arms forward to try and push her assailant off balance; only for Azula to beat her to the literal punch and grab hold of her wrists, holding her in place. Their eyes finally meeting, the two could not look more opposite. Porcelain skin reflected against a battered and slightly bloodied face.

"You're so slow Avatar, must be annoying, reincarnated into such a sluggish body," Azula said.

"What did you do?!" Korra demanded.

"I think you'll find it's what we did, after all, you did steady my aim," Azula replied. "You allowed that old hunk of wood to burn, and gave me exactly what I wanted. As you can see, I was tad spryer in my youth. Her words were drenched in mockery, seeping out passed her smile, just as her knee into Korra's sternum. "This is the face of the Fire Nation, its true heir, the one who struck down Avatar Aang and brought the Earth Kingdom to the brink of ruin."

Korra could barely breathe, but held on regardless. "Whatever you're planning. Whatever is lurking inside that twisted head of yours - I am going to stop you!"

Azula grinned. "Look, you're the new girl, so I'll let you down gently. I am beyond anything you have ever faced. You - cannot - stop me. I was owed the world, and I will take back what's mine." Her grip tightened, her fingers suddenly enveloped in blue flames. "And I'll reduce anyone who has ever wronged me to ashes!" 

Korra's agonised screams echoed across the Spirit World. Her flesh charring as Azula's enflamed grasp held on tightly. Any longer and there was little doubt it would cut through to the bone. As the pain circulated through her body, Korra forced her tear-stained eyes to focus. Her cries of pain slowly starting to shift into something far more primal. Light filled her eyes as the Avatar State surged into being. Not wasting a single moment she slammed her foot into the earth below, causing a torrent of rock to rise up between them. As the summoned wall forced the two apart, Korra drove her palm forward, unleashing a burst of airbending that cracked through the stone shell like a hammer. The resulting shockwave hit its mark as Azula was pushed back.

Though devoid of breath, she still managed to hold her footing. "Filthy Water Tribe spawn! Was that supposed to-"

Her insult was drowned out by the sea of fire that followed as Korra brought forth an inferno from her fists, scorching the already broken ground. The flames flowing like the tide over the horizon, churned and weaving, flooding Korra's view. A shimmer of hope that her enemy was now beneath searing light.

A hope that was soon dashed when the heart of the flames was pierced by a staggering bolt of lightning, one that rose to strike the heavens above. The thunderous streak was beyond any that Korra had any seen, its magnificence only matched by the horror of watching Azula emerge practically unscathed from within the burning tide. As the crackling light flowed from her fingertips, Azula's serpentine smile spread from ear to ear. With a final swing, she brought the lightning down like a sword.

Korra could only watch as the flames were cleaved in two, leading to them dissipating in a beautiful rain of orange sparks, flickering out of existence one by one. Of course, she didn't have time admire the clash of elements, given how the bolt came crashing down towards her.

Perhaps it was simply the unpredictability of lightning or just the dumbest of luck, because the attack landed just a hair away from her. She wasn't as lucky with the shockwave that followed. The untamed fury of such powerful bending sent Korra flailing into the dirt, skin singed and bones creaking. As her world turned dark, she could only make out the blurry feet before her, and the echoes of a voice dripping with the joy of conquest.

"Looks like you lose, Avatar."

The heat once again smeared itself across Korra's face. The blue fire gathering before her. She couldn't even hold on to consciousness long enough to stare into the face of certain death. 

How many times had she been here? The edge of oblivion. The fringe of failure. In these dismal moments her mind could not help but springboard back to her other ordeals. Having her bending sealed by Amon, tasting the venom of the Red Lotus, suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Kuvira. At each threshold she felt her body at the border of failing her, and cascading into the abyss. Yet she did not fall.

Nor would she fall now.

Once again Korra's eyes became emblazoned with the light of the Avatar State. She reached out, arms raised, fingers stretching into the flames. No sense of pain followed thereafter, only silence. 

"Korra?" The voice was aged yet sweet, like fine wine. It spurned the Avatar's eyelids open as the haze slowly faded. “My, my. You sure know how to make a commotion. I don't think there's a soul for miles who didn't hear all that racket."

"That voice..." Korra found herself pushing herself up off the scorched ground, the numbness in her muscles still lingering. When she looked up she found herself greeted by the tender smile of an old man, the greyness of his beard only contrasted by the vitality of his eyes.

"Iroh?"

"It is good to see you again, child" he said softly as he reached down and helped her to her feet. Just from a single touch Korra could feel warmth flowing through her body, though the chips in her bones were still hard to ignore.

"What are you doing here? Where did you-" before she could even question anything Korra cut herself off, eyes ripe with alarm as she whirled around in panic. "Azula!"

"Yes."

"She was just here! I - I fought her, and...”

”She is no longer here," Iroh said as his eyes graced the destruction around them, a cold expression lingering on his face. "Though I have no doubt my niece shall return from the shadows to strike again."

"Wait - the Tree!" Korra turned to see the ruins of what had once been the Tree of Time. Only a large stump remained, its former splendour shattered, several of its branches and groves missing from sight. "It's...destroyed."

"It has certainly seen better days."

Korra clenched her fists, too exhausted to muster the energy needed to scream, instead, all she could do was cast her gaze downward, shoulders slumped, only to feel Iroh's hand press into her shoulder, his smile returned.

"Peace, Korra. Do not drag yourself further into despair."

"Peace?!" she snapped. "The Tree of Time is gone! All because I couldn't stop that maniac!" she felt a lump form in her throat. "I promised that I would stop her but all I did was make things worse! She's - she different now! Stronger! After the tree was blown apart she..."

"Reclaimed her youth," Iroh interjected, his voice slightly sterner.

"You saw?"

"By the time I arrived I only caught a glimpse of your battle. After her last attack, she fled. Unless my eyesight has withered further since I entered the Spirit World, she looked no younger than she had been during the time of Avatar Aang."

"How is that possible?"

"Time is a fickle thing," he said as he began to walk towards the tree. As he arrived at the wreckage of wood, he brushed his hand against its smoking exterior, his face contorting like he were looking over a fresh carcass. "Perhaps it was divine will or the greatest of misfortunes, but it seems she has harnessed the tree's essence and reverted back to her prime" he sighed. "Decades on and I had hoped the poison in her mind would have faded, but it seems age has allowed it to fester."

"Is she still in the Spirit World?" Korra asked, holding onto an arm that looked a little worse for wear.

"No, I can longer sense her malice among us" he replied. "She did not leave this fight unscathed, but it would be foolish to think she will not return. Her appetite for death is bottomless, and too many of her enemies still walk among the living."

"Then we have to find her," Korra said, renewed vigour burning inside her. "She's already killed dozens of innocent people, I can't let her hurt anyone else!"

"Azula must be dealt with, on that we agree," he nodded. "However, I am afraid to say that she is not your most pressing concern."

"What?" Korra replied. "A psycho firebender with a grudge is on the loose! I have to warn Lord Zuko and the others before the worst happens!"

His hand rested on her shoulder once again, no hint of annoyance in his eyes, but rather one of understanding.

"As always, your heart rules your judgement. It’s the quality I most admire about you, Korra. But you must listen to what I have to say. I am afraid that Azula's actions here have had far greater consequences than even she is aware of," he said, fingers tightening slightly. “As you know, the Tree of Time is no mere perennial plant. It is sacred ground, every root laced with ancient knowledge and power immeasurable," he explained. "It served as the prison for the dark spirit Vaatu for millennia."

"You don't have to remind me, it was Avatar Wan's last resort" she replied, the memories of her predecessor still fresh in her mind.

"Famously so, but not even he ever truly understood its innermost secrets," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"Time, space and the power to slip through them both is what one might call the ultimate bending technique. However, balance demands that the flow of time remain fluid, never to be altered by the hands of mortals. To manipulate the threads that stitch the cosmos together could mean the total collapse of all things. Of course, no mere bender could perform such a feat. It even extends beyond the reach of the Avatar," he explained.

Korra tried to follow his train of thought, his expression sagely yet disturbed.

"However, it is not beyond the Tree of Time, for within its branches lies the potential to achieve this power. To walk along the binding thread and step onto the shores of worlds beyond our own. Thankfully, the tree does not possess the desires that would tempt such foolish acts - at least when it was whole."

"Iroh, what are you saying?" Korra asked.

From out of nowhere, thunder began to resonate above them, No, it was beyond thunder. It was like a chorus of explosions the size of continents, all overlapping together. The noise was almost otherworldly, cutting through Korra's ears. She barely had time to register what was going on before the fluorescent sky above them began to darken. These were not the shadow of clouds, rather what could only be described as wounds of light, peeling open to reveal unnatural images. It was a spectacle that took the Avatar's breath away.

Iroh, however, simply stood and watched the event unfold with melancholy.

"The tree has not been destroyed, it has been shattered. It’s branches broken off and scattered through time and space. Because of Azula, it is now unable to hold its form, and thus the power locked inside is spilling forth. What I am saying, Korra," the worry in his eye coming to light, "is that we on the edge of catastrophe."

Chapter Text

"Catastrophe?" Korra's words echoed, as hollow as the Tree of Life's remains. She looked at the elder Firebender like he had just spoken in riddles. Not that she was in the best mental shape anyway. The weight of her previous battle had not only taken a huge toll on her body but also on her psyche as well. Azula's venomous laughter pierced through her ears, prompting her to bite her own lip. How could she have let her escape?

"You really should sit down Korra, you look like your head is about to explode" Iroh said.

"My head is fine! Azula's the problem! She's out there somewhere and if I don't do something more innocent people are going to get hurt!" She snapped back.

"You will confront Azula again, of that I have no doubt, but there are more pressing matters to deal with." Iroh said, with great gentleness yet an overwhelming amount of authority that Korra stopped her rant altogether. "Trust me, I understand. I understand the anger that boils inside you. You are desperate to stop her, and rightly so. She excels when it comes inciting a desire for revenge in people. I have felt this first-hand. However, above all else, you are the Avatar, and the Avatar's sole duty is to the world," he stated calmly. "And right now, the world faces a threat that is far greater than Azula, a threat that you cannot ignore."

Korra's anger slowly dissipated, her eyes fell to the scorched earth below her, looking like a child who had just been reprimanded by a parent.

"I understand."

Iroh's chuckle came back in full force, ruffing up her hair in the process.

"My, my, you really do remind me of my nephew when he was your age. A fire forever in his belly and an eagerness that gave me no end of headaches," he teased. "Though he never had as much luck with the ladies as you do."

"Iroh!" Korra laughed before she lightly punched his shoulder. A moment of levity before the gravity of the situation once again made itself known. A serious look plastered itself across her face. "What can I do to stop this?"

"Alone? Very little," Iroh said while pointing to the sky above. "The broken branches are radiating the same spiritual energy as the tree, but without any control. Their power is distorting across not just our reality, but others too."

"Other realities?" Korra asked.

"It's tricky to to explain, so perhaps its best that you witness it with your own eyes" he said as he drew her attention to the shifting sky. Instead of its usual pastel afterglow, there were multiple images weaving through the air. Like moving pictures that appeared for only a handful of seconds. Within each picture appeared to be many strangers and sights that were totally alien to the Avatar.

"What are those?"

"Worlds. Countless ones. Separated yet bound together by the threads of time woven out by the tree," he explained. "Some bare striking resemblances to our own. There are heroes. "

One image showed what appeared to be a shadowy figure bent over a roof top, his face obscured by the darkness, but from what Korra made out his likeness was similar to that of a bat.

"And villains."

A new image, a much more haunting one, showing a man with bleach white skin, dressed in the most bizarre of outfits. He stood over several bloodied bodies, all the while laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"Until now, these worlds have been divided by the Tree of Time. Like the pages in a book, separate yet all held together by the same spine. But now, the worlds have begun to bleed over."

The images in the sky began to distort even further before taking shape again, a shape that Korra knew all too well.

"That's Republic City!"

"It appears so, and one of the focal points of the world bleeding."

"What does this-"

"Hush, keep watching," Iroh instructed.

The picture of Republic City appeared to be moving in real time. Various landmarks fluttered by, all filled with people going about their daily lives. In fact, there was a person in the crowd that Korra could spot a mile away. 

"Asami?"

The Future Industries CEO looked to be in a rather melancholy mood, she was sat outside a café, all alone. She stirred her tea with a spoon absentmindedly.

Korra felt the familiar bite of guilt, eat at her. A medley of adoration and worry filled her. Before she fell any further into her brooding, her attention was drawn to something else in the image, something that was shimmering with an unnatural light, perched just on the edge of said cafe's roof.

"Is that...?"

"A fragment of the Tree of Time," Iroh interjected. "It seems that multiple shards have fallen into our own world, and in doing so are acting as a razor that gnaws at the edge of reality, all the while serving as a beacon for unfortunate souls to pass on through."

As if to elaborate the point, the shard's luminous shell began to radiate more intensely. It was minute, but Korra spotted it - there was another face in the crowd. They wore different clothes, had an odd hairstyle, and had a confused look about them. It was like they had suddenly came into being, tight then and there.

"...Soos! Soos what's going on here! Did you and the kids switch out my coffee again?! You are so fired for this!" the newcomer snapped.

Korra's look was beyond bewilderment.

"This is a single grain of the chaos to come. Strangers awakening in strange lands, confusion leading to confrontation. The Spirit World will eventually start to feel the same effects and be forcibly integrated into this new viscous cycle. Balance will be broken," Iroh said. "You must find them Korra, find the tree's remnants and return them to the Spirit World before our home is torn apart by this unseen calamity."

Asami's face passed through Korra's mind again. She was in danger. The woman she loved was in danger. She wouldn't allow it. She couldn't. This enemy may have been formless, but it was still an enemy she would have to defeat. After Amon's manipulation, Zaheer's poison and Kuvira's brutality, nothing was too much for her. A sentiment she cemented with four words.

"I'll get it done."

"I'm glad to see you resolve hasn't wavered," Iroh grinned.

Korra opened her mouth, almost hesitantly, but was once again cut off.

"You're about to ask about Azula, aren't you?" he asked softly.

"She's still out there. People are going to die if she's not stopped. I can't just abandon-"

"I am not saying that you should abandon anyone. My niece is a clever one, but her appetites are predictable. Above all else, she only desires one thing; power" he said, his eyes almost glistening with deep-rooted pain. "She has finally reclaimed what she sought for decades, she will do whatever it takes to maintain it. As it stands, there's only one thing that could undo her plans."

"You mean the shards?"

"Find them, and it is likely she will come to you. In the meantime, I suggest that you leave things to Zuko. No-one knows Azula better than him. While he keeps her occupied, you and the others must recover the fragments if there is any hope of reversing this."

"He won't be happy that I'll be jumping ship so early."

"Just tell him life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not" Iroh said with the staunchest of smiles. "For all of his grouchiness, my nephew is one who understands the importance of setting off down a dangerous and difficult path for the sake of the greater good."

"I hope so," Korra said. "I'll need to - wait a second," she paused. "What do you mean by me and the others?"

"Hmm? Didn't I say before? Alone you can do very little."

"But I can-"

"Scour from Zaofu all the way to the bottom of the Serpent's Pass. Even if you recover every shard within a day, it is beyond all likeliness that the rest of the tree has scattered across other plains of existence. Without those lost pieces, your efforts will be fruitless." He explained. "Which is why, dear Avatar, you won't have to handle this burden alone."

There was another explosion of colour in the sky, the picture shifting into two distinct shapes. On closer inspection Korra could see that that they were each showing two individuals, each fundamentally different from one another, and from the looks of things appeared to be engaged in battles of their own.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"Your allies," Iroh said with a grin. "I have searched and searched, using my connection to the Spirit World to locate the remaining fragments, and to the best of my knowledge, they appear to have nestled within three realities, including our own. These two shall aide you in your crusade. They are, in many ways, just like you"

"You mean benders? Avatars?" she questioned.

"Protectors."

"The princess, born a soldier, raised to destroy, and yet chose to take up the sword as a guardian of peace"

The cries of battle echoed out, machines blasting away at the structure of a luminescent stronghold, only to be met by fierce resistance, each member adorned in such a way that one could mistake them for royalty. At the core of the confrontation stood a figure who towered over others, and not just with her height. Radiant blonde locks flowing behind a face steeled with determination, her gaze fixated on the encroaching forces. Raising her hand to the paling sky, her sword cascaded light from its crystalline edges. The company around her shared in her expression, empowered as the heavenly glow encompassed them. It was a look that Korra knew all too well. 

"For Eternia!" 

"The sorceress, torn between her dark destiny and an urge to right the wrongs of her lineage."

It was all ablaze. Hellfire coated the horizon, with a howling behemoth at its center. It was as large as the Colossus, but this was a creature of flesh. Eyes aglow with a visceral red light, its body emblazoned with dark markings and ritualistic clothing. It was lashing out against a small group below, one of which happened to be a woman clothed in shimmering white, contrasted only by her deep lavender hair. From her hands poured forth equally blinding waves of light that seemed to be repelling the hulking demon. It was so radiant that Korra could have sworn she was looking at someone who had just entered the Avatar State.

"I was protected by the monks of Azarath. I was raised by my friends. They are family, this is my home, and you are not welcome here! Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

Korra had to take a moment as she watched the events unfold before her eyes. She soon turned to Iroh, who was giving her a quizzical smirk.

"You want me to team up with them?"

"Indeed, though there is no way for you to physically cross over to their worlds. The push and pull of the shards is too unpredictable, and who knows if any of you would survive such a trip," he explained.

"Then how are we supposed to work together?"

Iroh's smile deepened.

"There is a way, though it is most...unconventional."

"I'm going to hate this, aren't I?"

"Most likely."

Chapter Text

Korra hadn't expected the conversation with Zuko to go so smoothly. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She first had go through the arduous task of informing him about Azula's rejuvenation. For a brief moment, she experienced the full force of the Fire Lord's unrestrained anger. 

"That devil! I should ended her myself all those years ago! When I get my hands on her I'll-" the list of expletives went on and on. 

The medics had quickly tendedto Korra's burns and bruises as best they could, all the while a very worried Naga contributed to the process by licking her face incessantly. She would have pushed her away, but right now Korra felt like she needed a little affection.

After nearly kicking a hole in the airship, the Fire Lord eventually calmed himself, at which point Korra took the plunge and carefully laid out the situation. While she had expected some sort of backlash, she was met by unnerving silence as Zuko listened.

"My uncle said that?" he asked.

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not" she repeated.

An unusual smile crossed his face, the grizzled monarch suddenly looking around fifty years younger. "Even when he's departed the land of the living, he's still giving me lectures," he chuckled, all the while fighting a lump in his throat. As he looked upon the Avatar, his eyes returned to their steely lustre. "Go, find these fragments as quickly as you can, then join me in hunting down Azula."

Korra's bandaged fist tightened. "I will. I promise."

Republic City was practically beaming, especially when it came to the local parks. It would have been the perfect setting for a romantic walk or just soaking in the sun. Korra let her eyes linger on the greenery as long as she could, thinking at how wonderful it would be to go snatch up Asami and spend the better half of the day here. Of course, indulging in such pleasantries would act only as a fatal distraction.

"Let's go girl," Korra said as she squeezed her legs around Naga's side, prompting the polar bear dog to leap across the pathways towards the centre of the city, only just managing to avoid pedestrians, who by this point had gotten pretty used to seeing the giant white fur-ball roll through town.

It had taken a whole day for the airship to take her back from the Southern Water Tribe, and most of that time she had spent sleeping and meditating in the hope of a quick recovery. There had been no time for her to contact the likes of Lin, Tenzin, Mako or even Asami, something she was once again regretting.

"I'm such a screw up," she thought to herself.

"You really are too hard on yourself."

"GAH!" Korra yelled, her sharp reaction causing Naga to come to a grinding halt and nearly throw her off the saddle in the process. 

"Is my voice really that unpleasant? You wound me Korra," a soft laugh echoed her ears again, one of deep familiarity.

"Iroh?"

"Bingo."

"You scared me half to death! I thought you were going to give me some warning before you did this whole mind-talk thing!"

"I prefer the term spiritual communication."

"Still doesn't make it any less weird!"

"I would have imagined speaking to Aang and the other Avatars would have made it this easier for you?"

"Maybe, but...I don't know, this feels different. Wrong, even."

"How so?"

"Aaag, Wan, the others, they're all part of me. There's this peace when I speak...spoke to them," she sighed, the bitter conclusion to Harmonic Convergence making her shudder as she recalled how Vaatu's attack had cost her the previous connection with her predecessors. She could still recall the last smile Wan gave her before he faded from the Avatar Cycle altogether. "But this - it's like I've got a stranger speaking through me. It feels...invasive. There's no control. It's little scary to be honest."

"It certainly is unorthodox, and I'm afraid it will only grow more cumbersome as time goes on," Iroh replied 

"Great," Korra groaned.

After a few pats on the head, Naga was once again on the move, leaping across street corners, attempting to cause as little damage as possible. It didn't take them long to arrive at the café, which was surprisingly busier than usual. Busy with police, that is. Slipping off her fluffy companion, Korra made her way to the centre of commotion. As expected of the RCPD, they had made quick work of the commotion - some officers questioning civilians while also crossing off most of the area surrounding the building. The owner of the establishment looked particularly upset about the whole thing.

"You can't just shut down Cabbage Coffee!" he yelled out.

"Sir, the faster you cooperate with us, the faster we'll be out of your hair."

"Is that supposed to be a joke! Can't you see I'm going bald?!"

"A poor choice of words sir, I apologize."

Korra had to stifle back a laugh as she watched Lin Beifong do everything in her power to not ensnare the café owner in chains. She had really mellowed in recent years. At least as much as could be expected for Republic City's number one super-cop.

"I see she inherited much from Toph - perhaps not her sense of humour."

Korra reached to her chest to make sure her heart was still there following a second fright. "Okay, you need to give me some warning before you do that!"

"I'm afraid we don't have the time for such luxuries."

"How are you doing this anyway?"

"With a great deal of effort, I can assure you. As a spirit, you and I have a connection that can be tapped into with enough focus. Also, thanks to the effects of the world bleeding, I have already made contact with one of our new allies. Together, we have established this web of the minds that will allow instant communication," he explained.

"New ally? Who-"

"Avatar?"

Korra was pulled from her inner conversation by a new voice. Lin stood before her, arms crossed and eyes raised.

"O-Oh! Hey Lin!" she said, blushing in embarrassed. She must have been a puzzling sight, just staring into space like that while talking to herself.

"Thought you were bound for the Fire Nation, you know, to sort out that little problem," Lin said, very aware of the many ears listening in.

"Y-Yeah, the situation has kind of changed," Korra answered, not sure how to put into context all the craziness that had occurred over the last few days.

"I wasn't informed. What kind of change are we talking here?" Lin questioned, eyes acute.

The image of Azula's sinister grin entered her mind again, causing Korra to unintentionally scowl. Part of her wanted to grab the nearest flight back to the Southern Water Tribe to go and hunt for clues on the madwoman’s whereabouts, but deep down she knew how foolish that would be.

"It's gotten a million times more complicated. Like, Earth Empire levels," she admitted.

"Nothing new there, seems like each week we get hit by some new disaster. I think I'm a little desensitised by this point," Lin sighed. "Look, I need to finish things up here, but afterwards I'll do what I can to help you out."

Korra's practically beamed. "Thank you, you have no idea what that means!"

"Just doing my job, kid. What do you need?"

"Best bet would be to rendezvous with Lord Zuko, he's hunting down our missing person."

"I'll grab some of my best guys and head on out, this shouldn't take too long anyway. Just as soon as that guy stops going on about his stupid cabbage coffee."

"What happened here?" Korra asked.

"According to eye witnesses, some crazy, homeless ruffian randomly appeared and started causing a ruckus. He wasn't a bender but it still took three guys to pin him down, we're holding him back at the station at the moment," she explained.

"Ah, right."

"That have anything to do with why you're here?" Lin asked, eyebrow cocked. 

"It might - I need to look around for something." Korra added, a little sheepishly. After all, she hated getting on the wrong side of Lin during one of her cases.

"I'll get you access, come on."

"You're the best Lin."

"I know."

Korra's search around the café had so far garnered zero results. She had looked through ever cupboard, under every appliance, she had even questioned the detectives and owner if they had seen a peculiarly object suddenly appear. Something other than the stranger now in custody, that is. Her hunt took her to the roof, where she once again turned up empty. 

"How can it not be here?!"

"Time is a fickle thing, Korra," Iroh added.

"You said that already."

"What you saw in the Spirit World could reflect the past or future,"  Iroh elaborated.

"So I'm stuck waiting for this shard to appear?" she groaned.

"Time is no longer our friend, so I would strong advise against that."

"Well, I am open to any suggestions."

"You are the Avatar, are you not? Your connection to the Spirit World is stronger than any other, and the shards, while in a state of flux, are still very much a product of the spiritual. You need only focus."

Korra took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, looking out over the view of Republic City. The beautiful daylight spotted with an uneasy collection of clouds in the distance. Taking a moment to calm herself, she brought her fists together as she had done countless times before, eyes closed, letting stillness take her.

"That's it Korra. Hear the echoes of the tree, feel the spiritual pull. It will guide you to what you seek,"  Iroh said calmly, his words reverberating through her ears, further relaxing her mind.

The dampened light of the sun, the bustle of the street below, all of it began to fade as Korra concentrated on her goal. There was only darkness, at least for a moment. As she drifted deeper into the silence, she felt it. The ripple.

"What is that?"

Another ripple followed, then another, and another still. Korra soon found the dark of her eyelids filled with shimmering waves of light, though they seemed quite feeble. At last until she turned her head west, to which she felt a much stronger ripple reach her.

"I think I've got it!" she grinned before letting loose a whistle. There was a loud bustle from below as many officers were pushed aside as Naga came into view. Leaping off the roof and onto the strong back of her companion, Korra refocused herself, thankfully the same ripples were still very much visible to her.

"You found what you need?" Lin asked, though not very amused that she now had stray white fur scattered about her hair and a few officers who had been knocked to the curb.

"I hope so. I'm looking for a needle in a haystack after all."

"Oh, that's an easy one to solve."

"Huh?"

"Just metalbend the needle out and jam it into the eye of the guy who hid it."

Silence. 

"It's a joke, kid. Lighten up. Now get going before I fine this fluffball for parking violations," Link stated. 

"On second thought, she definitely has Toph's sense of humour." Iroh added as he fought a chuckle. 

"Tell me about it," Korra groaned, before she and her companion ventured deeper into the city. 

The ripples took her all over the east-end of the city, past all manner of shops, theatres and market stalls. The repairs from Kuvira's attack were moving along at an accelerated pace. In another year or so perhaps all the damage done by the Colossus would be nothing more than a bad memory. At least for some. For people like Asami, it would do little to remedy the pain of who she had lost.

"You think about her a lot, don't you"  Iroh stated softy .

"Who?"

"You know who."

"She's one of the best things to ever happen to me. I don't want to mess it up," Korra admitted, holding onto Naga's fur a little tighter.

"Young love is a labyrinth. It's hard to navigate if you panic, but patience will always see you through. I can speak from experience here," he chuckled.

Korra returned the unseen smile.

"I guess you're right. There will be plenty of time to patch things up after we fix the world."

"I remember saying the same thing to my wife when I was..."  Iroh's voice trailed off, an intense silence following.

"Korra, do you-"

"I feel it," she said before bringing Naga to a halt once again. The streets were a little less crowded here, only a handful of stragglers who were making their way to the Pro-Bending Arena. In all the confusion, Korra had forgotten that the finals were tonight. She could still recall the cheer of the crowds back when the Fire Ferrets were at the top of their game. "The shard is around here somewhere," she added as she slid of Naga. "Maybe I should have taken Lin and her squad with us, would have made this thing so much..." she trailed off when she felt it once again. The fluctuations. The spiritual essence. They tore through her consciousness. No longer ripples, more like spikes. She barely had time to focus on the aftereffects, since she was directly looking at the source in front of her.

A child, no older than ten by her estimate, wearing a pro-bending scarf that was way too big for him. His eyes were wide, but then whose wouldn't have been when fire was spilling out of their body, each miniature eruption slowly taking the form of a fire imbued tendril. In his right hand was a large object that looked like it had been taken from the heart of a tree. It radiated such vivid light that the child seemed almost hypnotised by it, to the extent he didn't notice he was drenched in flames.

Korra didn't think - she dashed forward as fast as she could, determined to tear the shard from the child's hand. The movements were wasted however, as the child let out a powerful scream in a voice that wasn't his own, one that increased the intensity of the flames tenfold, stretching out and tearing through the surrounding area like blades through bread. 

"Not good!"

"Korra! Get down!"

Fighting instinct kicking in, Korra swung her arms in front of her to create a small wall of stone, one that was just thick enough to prevent the flames from tearing through her flesh. At least at first. Like a swarm, the blazing tendrils began to descend upcoming upon her defence again and again, each time chipping more away.

"What is this?!"

"The shards have accelerated the child's firebending ability beyond all control."

"It can do that?! How?!"

"You have felt the Tree of Time's power before, have you not? Infinite knowledge, infinite potential, but now that it is shattered, it can empower those who touch its shards until their strength is beyond human." 

"Well, that’s just perfect!" Korra growled before she tried to refortify her shield, but it proved to be a pointless labour.

The child was howling in fear, and with every passing scream, the flames only grew in size and ferocity, striking out at Korra, trying to smother her out as quickly as possible.

"I need to get that thing off of him before it consumes him," she yelled out as she felt the flames start to lick her skin. "I'm going to waterbend my way through!"

"Be swift, I fear he may not last much longer."

"On it!" she said, flexing her fingers as far as possible.

They were thankfully close to a river, and with a mere thought the water rose, spiralling towards her by the gallon. Bringing both of her palms to the floor, the water splashed down, cutting through the flames, followed by a burst of steam as the tendrils recoiled for a moment, but a moment was all Korra needed. Charging forward, she began to bend the water around her, coating herself in a protective shell, like a liquid cannonball. Just as the flames bared their fangs once again, they were met with the impact of the Avatar crashing into the child. Water droplets and embers scattered everywhere as the two sprawled on the ground. Before either had a chance to breathe, Korra rolled over and grasped the shard out of his hand, snatching it away. As it left the safety of the child's hand, the remaining flames vanished in an instant.

Korra panted hard, her lungs burning red after such a collision. She grasped the shard in her hand as tightly as possible. "Finally!"

"I can't take my eyes off you for ten minutes, can I?" Lin sighed as she offered a towel to Korra to dry her face with.

The child was mercifully okay. Korra was convinced that the family would be after her head, but if anything, they were beyond grateful that she had saved their son from what was being spun as some manner of accident involving spontaneous bending, or perhaps an incident with a rogue firebender? Lin was able to fold the narrative to her liking with frightening ease. The boy, who eagerly introduced himself as Katsu, seemed over the moon that he got to meet the Avatar. A barrage of handshakes and autographs later, and it what was nearly a fatality was brushed aside.

"Sorry," Korra said as she dried her face.

"Don't be. You saved that kid from burning to death. I'd say that's a win," Lin replied before looking at Korra's hand. The shard, also soaked, held in her grip, so much so that Korra's knuckles were whitening from holding on so tightly. "All that trouble for that thing?"

"Crazy, right?"

"This mean you're finished with your little quest?"

"I wish," Korra groaned as she slid the shard into one of the pouches of her waist pelt. "This is just one, and something tells me that finding the others is going to be twice as hard."

"Well, if your search takes you past Zaofu, let me know and I'll chip in where possible."

"Zaofu?"

"Su called me, said she needed her big sister to help her out with something urgent. Figured I would drop by before heading off to hunt down her majesty," Lin elaborated. "Don't worry Avatar, when things start to get real messy, I'll have your back."

Korra beamed. "I appreciate-"

"Congratulations, Korra"

"GAH!" 

"You okay?" Lin asked, taken aback by the sudden outburst.

"Y-Yeah! Totally fine! Just got a call on the old Spirit World phone! I really got to take this, sorry!" Korra laughed awkwardly, before hurriedly turning away.

Lin shook her head. "Still the same crazy girl."

"Just a heads up - that's all I'm asking for!" Korra hissed, leading against a nearby bridge.  

"It wasn't exactly easy, but well done in recovering the first shard. Speed and precision are of the upmost importance if we are to succeed in this endeavour." Iroh said. 

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad I didn't have to bury a body today" Korra said. "Though, why didn't the shard affect me? You said it yourself, whoever touches it loses control of their bending."

"Not just their ending. In its current state, the Tree of Time will grant destructive power to any mortal soul, and as the tearing of our world's fabric increases, who knows what else it will do to those unfortunate enough to encounter it." 

"That's comforting."

"As to why you weren't affected, I would say that's obvious. You are the Avatar. Even as it spirals out of control, the Tree of Time is still part of the Spirit World. You and it share the same essence. In fact, it's only because of this power that there is hope for the others to succeed."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked. 

"As I mentioned before, this mental melding of ours was formed by one of our newest allies. Her skills lie in the manipulation and strengthening of thought. Likewise, your power stems from your connection to spirits. You are sharing your strength with each through this single thread that connects you between worlds. Think of it as passive inter-dimensional bending," Iroh explained. 

"I would rather they didn't take too much of my Avatar-ness. I'm still not totally comfortable with leaving two thirds of the job to people I've never met before. I hate to say it, but do you know if they can be trusted?"

"The feeling's mutual," a new voice spoke out. Droll, dismissive, and distinctly feminine.

Korra nearly fell over the bridge into the river below. "Who said that?!"

"Ah, I was wondering when you would speak up. Avatar Korra, I think it's time you were introduced to your companions,"  Iroh said, his smile widening. 

Chapter Text

Whoever said that a city ever slept was sorely mistaken. The never slept. By daylight the streets were filled with ordinary folk going about their lives, basking in whatever comforts they could afford. Then came nightfall - when the animals came out to play. There were only two kinds, the ones who wanted to have fun, and the others whose fun came at the cost of others.

Raven found both equally intolerable.

"I-I swear! I didn't do anything!" the man yelled, his features a ghostly white as he found himself suspended from the air like a puppet with only one string left.

Bewildered faces watched in silence as the young woman twisted her hand, the black aura that shrouded it intensifying twice over. As a result, the floating partygoer found himself unceremoniously falling to the ground with a dull thud, the only thing more bruised than his body being his ego.

"I don't have to be a telepath to know what you were about to do. I suggest you call it quits and sleep off the drink before you get yourself into real trouble," she stated sharply. From under the shadow of her hood, her gaze grew fearsome, prompting the accused to practically leap out of his skin and high-tail it across the street. She then turned her attention to a rather shaken woman behind her, dressed for a good time but currently looking like she had just seen a ghost. It wasn't clear whether it was because she had nearly been manhandled or because she had just seen someone float. "You okay?"

The glamorous girl nodded wordlessly.

"Stay with your friends, and try not to lose your head."

Another frantic nod.

Effortlessly, Raven took to the skies, leaving the rest of the party animals to their night of dancing and awkward flirting. As she became doused in moonlight it became clear her skin was ashen, her deep blue cloak hung to her body like shadow, amethyst eyes and hair aglow. With minimal effort, Raven finally escaped the noise of the nightlife below by soaring above the highest of Jump City's buildings, allowing her to view the concrete jungle below in its entirety.

"Peace at last."

"Who is this?!"

The voice tore through Raven like a lightning bolt, shattering her psyche with its brashness and nearly sending her plummeting out of the sky from shock alone. If there was one thing she hated above all else, it was having her concentration broken. Unfortunately for her, the voice in question seemed especially verbose.

"Could you please refrain from yelling," Raven growled.

"Iroh, what's going on here? Why can I hear another voice inside my head?!"  the voice persisted, much to Raven's annoyance. "Am I picking up some kind of spiritual radio frequency here? Because nobody warned me about this!"

"You're dreadfully misinformed" Raven sighed as she landed on the closest rooftop. Reaching up, she removed her hood, letting the cool night air wash over her. "What you're experiencing is a telepathic connection, though truth be told, I've never experienced it on such a transcendent level before," she mused.

"...Iroh! The weird voice is talking again!"

Raven gritted her teeth.

"I hope we haven't caught you at an inopportune moment,"  Iroh's voice glided through her ears, calm as ever.

"It's fine, time isn't exactly a luxury for any of us anymore" Raven responded, peering out over the landscape again. "It won't be easy, but if these shards possess as much power as you say, then I should be-"

"Hello! I'm still here! Who is this?!"  Korra snapped back.

"Will you be QUIET!" Raven retorted as her eyes glowed a hazy white, the sharpness of her tone causing the loose dirt around her to shuffle in place, like a miniature quake had shuddered them out of alignment.

Before anymore voices could be raised, Iroh interjected.

"Korra, this poignant young woman is Raven. A sorceress. A being able to conjure and twist the world around with lost magics. Her mental fortitude is second to none, and as such I have recruited her to aid in our recovery of the tree's remains,"  he explained.

"Magic? You mean like pulling a rabbit-mouse out of a hat?"

"She's much more talkative then you made her out to be" Raven muttered under her breath.

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm-"

"The Avatar. I know exactly who and what you are. Iroh has told me all about you and what's is at stake. I'm here to clean up this mess and make sure whatever this Azula is planning never crosses over to my reality."

"It's a little more complicated that that," Korra huffed. 

"Maniac obtains crazy amount of power and nearly shatters all of time and space. It's almost textbook" she retorted before slowly lifted her legs up and assuming a meditative stance. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted. There was a brief pause before the static in her ears began to quieten. While it looked like nothing had changed, beneath the surface, the fabric of the world started to slowly shift.

"What's happening? I can see...a city?" Korra said slowly, confusion and alarm filling her.

"This is the true power that Raven holds. She is serving as an anchor, strengthening the tethers I have placed between you three. A mental web, one that allows senses to be shared without harm,"  Iroh elaborated.

"It may be harmless but it's still extremely uncomfortable," Raven chimed in. "It's a melding of minds on a scale beyond anything I could have imagined. Our realities were never meant to mesh, but to ensure our success I have had to exploit the tears between worlds. Please be mindful that the more ruckus you make, the harder it is to keep this connection going."

"I'm not too happy with it, but I guess I'll have to grim and bear it,"  Korra said.

"Thank you for your sacrifice," Raven said, tongue laced with sarcasm. Before the Avatar could retort, the lavender-haired caster jolted up, taking flight again, this time at a much greater speed as the night wind battered her eye lashes.

"You can feel the Tree of Time?"  Korra asked.

"I've spent my entire life surrounded by the supernatural, finding a piece of god tree should be tailor-made for someone like me."

"Well, excuse me," Korra grumbled. "Wait, are you flying?! Are you an airbender?!"

"Looks like the link is stronger than I thought, didn't expect you could see me levitating so clearly."

"How are you - I thought there weren't any other benders outside my world?"

The sorceress landed amidst an empty street, looking around each corner like a hungry yet cautious mouse, eyes scanning the corridors for her prize. "This shard you speak of; I can feel it. It's weak, but the sensation is unmistakable. Looks like you were right Iroh, your doomsday bark must have found itself a comfy spot for itself in my neck of the woods," Raven said aloud.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"  Korra snapped back.

Raven bared her teeth. "It. Is. Not. Bending. It's sorcery, bound to my soul and requires a great deal of focus to handle, something you are currently impeding." Taking flight once again, she passed over the head over several citizens, some seeking the night life and others trying to escape it. "If it's still in Jump City, it's not staying still, it feels like there's ripples everywhere, I can't get a read on it. What kind of magic are we dealing with here?"

"One as old as creation itself, and one that must be kept out of the wrong hands at all costs," Iroh said.

"I have to find it first. At this rate I'll have to do an entire sweep of the city," she groaned. "Of course, none of the Titans are here to help me out."

"The who?"  Korra chimed in.

"I am afraid we can't risk any hindrance in waiting for your friends' arrival. We must hasten our progress at any and all cost,"  Iroh said.

“I'm certainly open to suggestions," Raven replied, as she skimmed around a pair of party girls wearing rather unflattering versions of her own attire. 

"As a matter-a-fact, I have one,"  Iroh chuckled. "The joining between you two appears to be working, which means it is time for you to aid our dear sorceress, Korra."

"Me?" Korra asked. 

"Oh, this should be good," Raven said. 

"As Raven has demonstrated, she is able to share a fraction of her gifts. As such, you too can feed her a sliver of your power," Iroh explained.

"Uh, what kind of sliver are we talking here?" Korra asked. 

"Don't make it awkward," Raven replied.

"You're the one making it awkward! I just have some slight reservations about handing the power of the Avatar to a stranger that's talking directly into my brain,"  Korra retorted.

"Korra,"  Iroh's voice resonated with the same firmness that had come to be expected of a mentor. “You must put aside any misgivings. No matter how bizarre, this is the only way to undo the havoc that Azula has unleashed."

There was a moment's pause before Korra let loose a rather lacklustre "fine," subsequently exhaling to calm her agitated mind. Not long after, Raven began to feel the ripples she had been sensing sharpen, growing stronger and stronger until it felt her mind was being battered by an incoming tide. "Azarath," she groaned in response.

"That helped?"  Korra asked.

"Perhaps. I can sense something. Powerful, but isolated. It's got an indescribable aura to it" she explained while rubbing her temples, trying to dispel the haze from her mind. "Seems like your bark is located on the northern side of town."

"Excellent. It appears you two can work in harmony after all,"  Iroh added, almost gleefully.

"Harmony might be too strong a word. It's going to take a while before..." Raven trailed off, lost in her own thoughts, though the abject look of concern remained frozen on her face. "Oh no."

"What is it?"  Korra asked.

"Trouble."

The screams that echoed through the street weren't the usual kind you'd expect to hear at this time of night. Neither drunk nor enthusiastic, it was a sound that could only come from genuine terror. In this instance, it was emanating from a young woman who watched as her boyfriend was sent hurtling to the ground - clothes and torso torn up like he had just wrestled a wolf.

Emerging from the darkness of the alley appeared a hulking figure. Every movement causing them to shudder, like their every cell convulsing in anger. The streetlights revealed the attacker to be a woman of the same age as her victims, her clothes wrinkled, and a large piece of shimmering wood clutched between her fingers so hard they had begun to bleed.

"Dirty...lying...cheating...JERK!" she yelled before leaping forward like a beast about to snatch up its evening meal. Rocketing through the air, her nails almost tasted the young flesh of her target, if not for the fact she was suddenly held in place. Darkness consumed her vision as her entire body was shrouded in black.

"I would call it a night if I were you," Raven stated as she emerged from the earth, her form akin to a three-dimensional shadow. Keeping her eyes on her prisoner, she began to make various hand movements, which in turn caused the rabid woman's body to stretch out like a sacrifice. "Looks like you picked up something a little stronger than tequila. Let me take care of that."

The woman's grip began to reluctantly loosen on the shard, much to her outrage, leading her to batter her body against the invisible force that was suspending her body in place. Snarling and drooling and lashing with every ounce of strength she had left inside of her, her efforts seemed to cause the bark in her hand to erupt with light. The brightness was only matched by its force, instantly shattering Raven's hold over her. Before she had even touched the ground, the woman set her sights on the sorceress, eyes bloodshot, trickling with mystical energy, and every muscle bulging in uncontrollable rage. 

Raven cursed. "Oh for Azar's sake."

The woman shot forward with the speed of a bullet. Her fist nearly made contact with Raven's delicate nose, though luckily the sudden appearance of a magical shield intercepted the blow, though it did cause her to stagger back quite a bit.

"She's strong. Too strong," Raven thought aloud as she began to form various symbols with her hand. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she yelled as her eyes suddenly became aglow with beautiful white light, causing both the nearby streetlights and the ground below to suddenly latch around her attacker. "Will - you - just - quit it!" she snapped as she coiled the various debris around the woman until she was practically cocooned in rubble.

Panting slightly, Raven looked over to see that the possessed woman was still trying to lash out at her, but she was having a bit of difficulty pushing herself through the metal and rock that bound her in place.

"Sloppy Raven, too sloppy," she berated herself before reaching out, her fingers suddenly disappearing into nothingness as a miniature portal opened up. After a minute of digging her hand around, Raven pulled her arm back to reveal the shard, no longer glowing. Her eyes fell back to the woman, who was now looking far less vicious and a tad more confused. Tears and makeup ran down her cheeks while her once flawless hair had been spoiled due to the fragments of stone and blood that were now entangled in it. If not for the fact that both could have ended up seriously hurt by this ordeal, one might have laughed at the sight of the pretty young thing wrapped up in an urban sushi roll.

"W-What happened?" she asked, voice hoarse from all her previous shrieks.

Raven wandered over and began to slowly break apart the impromptu binds, careful to not put her through more grief.

"Take it easy, you've had a rough night."

"Where's Jake? Did he and Sherry set this up?! That jerk! I knew he wanted me out of the picture!" she wailed as she slowly began to break out into a rather colorful ramble, one that showed no sign of slowing down.

The sorceress let out another long sigh. “Cyborg was right, I should have gone to East City with the rest of them," she said, fingers raised to her temple; an attempt to massage the many mental strains away. It didn't help. However, it was when she reached down to help the dishevelled and disorientated diva up that she felt it.

That pulse. That crack through the membrane of her mind. One that echoed a voice that was not her own. And with the voice came words, bellowed out in a symphony of thunder. 

"FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!"

Chapter Text

It was a truly pleasant day, but then, when picking berries, everything was pleasant. Perfect enough for the hunched older woman, pale purple hair cascading down her aged body, her eyes made large through glasses. She clung to her wooden staff with a casual cheerfulness, as though it weren’t really there to help her walk, but just another part of the adventure. Butterflies fluttered about as she walked the familiar paths that led her along the bushes of berries she knew to be the best. Despite the shoddiness of her memory, Madame Razz was not one to forget something as essential as the art of berry-picking. She hummed as she went about her beloved task. The tune nonsensical; a song that was only known to her. Her basket soon becoming full to the point of overflowing. Pleased with herself, Madame Razz made the long stroll back to her little hamlet. The woods were still peaceful and so, to liven it up a bit, she began to hum her songs all over again, though this time even further off the musical mark.

The return home came with little fanfare. There was no one to welcome her, but it did not dampen her spirits any. Living alone hadn’t ever been a sad thing to her. There was plenty to fill her day, and she liked being away from those who might judge her too harshly or bother her with silly things. Madame Razz set her staff to one side as she took a moment to admire her berries within the safety of her home. They were truly perfect. They might have even been the best berries that she had ever picked. Maybe. With a pleased new hum, she made her way to the counter she prepared food on, dumping the basket out over it and watched as the dark fruits tumbled out, some threatening to fall to the floor. She caught them with surprising quickness for a woman of her age, pushing them back together. Then, with a dramatic raise of the hand, she began to smash the berries and break them down. She soon began to press and push them together. However, a quick glance over told her that she had not smashed them enough, at least, to her tastes. She raised one berry-stained fist in the air and readied it to smash down one last time, when another smash entirely caught her attention.

Through the wall of her home, Adora came flying and barely missed her. The young woman looked like she had waded through a warzone. Even with her withering vision, Madame Razz could spy the bruises and scratchers that covered her body, eyes that held exhaustion, anger, confusion, and hesitation simultaneously. She had obviously been fighting for quite a long time, and whatever it was that she was going against seemed to be taking its toll on her. Adora groaned as several pieces of rubble from the wall tumbled onto her already strained body. As she noted all this, Madame Razz clapped her hands in delight and offered her the brightest smile she had.

"Hello dearie! I didn't expect to see you so soon. Are you here for Madame Razz's special jam?"

Her voice was so loud and sharp that Adora’s attention snapped over to her despite the danger. The former soldier's eyes grew nearly as wide as the old hermit’s, and she began to push herself up with newfound motivation. More of the wall broke as she did. 

“Madame Razz, you need to get out of here now! It isn’t safe-” Adora’s warning came a moment too late. A snout latched forward through the hole in the wall, its crooked jaw clamping down on her arm. She screeched with pain, but she had no time to give any further warning before she was yanked back outside.

Madame Razz took a few steps forward at this. Concern was creeping into the old woman’s features even as she still held an aura of eccentric indifference, taking a peak through the newfound hole in her home to spot the scuffle outside.

Adora had been pinned underneath what looked to be a horse, one covered with roots of light that wrapped around its staggering large body, nearly consuming it completely. Their origin? A shard that oozed power, formed around the base of it's horn. The beast was, understandably, furious. The rage bordering on the insane. As Adora squirmed and did her best to dodge while pinned, the creature’s powerful hooves continued to slam down into the earth around her, each strike coming close to making contact with her frame. It's braying was excruciating; a mournful sound buried in pity and fury. Adora winced more at the sound of that then at the bite cutting into her toned flesh. 

“Mara dearie! It’s so sweet of you to visit me out of the blue like this! You are always with the surprise visits-” Madame Razz chirped, and Adora yelped as, with a violent display of strength, wrenched her arm free. 

“Madame Razz, please! This really isn’t the time! You need to-”

The horse lashed forward, and Adora rolled again, it's horn cutting through the soft ground with ease. 

“Ah, but the table hasn't been set! If you’re going to be staying for dessert, then I need to have the table ready.” The old hermit half-hummed as she glanced back inside her half-destroyed house, surveying the the table that had somehow escaped the damage. 

“I can’t eat dessert right now! I’m trying not to be killed!” Adora’s features shone with absolute exasperation. “Madame Razz, please-”

The corrupted mare lunged for her throat, tired of the talk. It was the opening Adora needed. In the instant before the horse’s large and cruel jaws could clamp down, Adora grasped its mouth and held it back. She leaped, and without hesitation wrapped her muscular legs around the beast's neck. With her own strength and ample leverage, she forced it down. A thunderous impact followed; Adora forced to suck in her breath as the struggle continued. Wails and soil were kicked into the sapphire sky above for several agonising minutes until everything became still. 

Several moments of reprieve passed before Adora finally pulled herself up. The tiredness that Madame Razz had first witnessed was even more pronounced. Her legs were practically shaking from the effort of keeping her up. Beads of sweat ran from her forehead down her cheeks. Her whole chest seemed to be heaving up and down as she caught her breath, but her gaze was still alert. One of the primary lessons taught to her during her time with the Horde; ensure the absolute destruction of your enemy. Okay, so it was a little heavy handed, but it never hurt to be sure. 

Her instinct was swiftly proven correct.

With a hollow roar, the horse snapped its head up in an unorthodox fashion and began to rise once more. Adora felt a groan escape her before loosely holding up her fists; a standard defence pose that was shoddy at best due to exhaustion. This was going to be a rough round. At least it would be, if it weren't for the glorious neigh from high up in the sky.

A flash vibrant color, a burst of wind, it descended down to earth with shocking speed. Like a living rainbow, it slammed its hooves right into the side of its withering counterpart. The impact sent a tremor that could be felt on the very edges of the Whispering Woods. The beast was still once more.

“...Where were you?!” Adora seemed to exhale for the first time since Madame Razz had seen her. Her guarded and tense expression fell into deep relief as she approached what was revealed to be a rather stunning alicorn. “And what took you so long?!”

“Well, excuse me Princess! Why did YOU leave the castle in such a hurry?!” the winged horse, Swift Wind, huffed back, giving a dramatic shake of their mane. “And why did you leave without this?” he nodded to their side. Perfectly balanced along his back, the familiar, glassy sheen of Adora's sword reflected the late morning sunlight.

There was an undercurrent of unease and implication within those words. Adora suppressed another groan as she understood intrinsically what Swift Wind had been getting at. She had, after all, left in the middle of an important meeting with the Princess Alliance. It wasn’t exactly unusual for urgent matters to arise mid-conference, but she knew that it was still odd for her to suddenly bolt off on her own. Adora hadn’t even given any sort of explanation, though she knew she’d be doing a lot of that when she returned.

“How mad is everyone?” Adora chose her words carefully, hesitant on how much she actually wanted to know. “Specifically Glimmer? On a scale of one to ten.”

“Solid twenty," the alicorn replied. “It's really not my business, but couldn't you have handed things a little more...tactfully? Your friend just became Queen, after all. Not a good look for you to sudden bail without an explanation.”

“It’s complicated. Really complicated.” Adora’s shoulders slumped as far as they could go as she reached for the sword, her dour expression perfection captured within the sword's crystalline features. 

“Ooh! Is your friend going to be staying for lunch too? I suppose I have enough to make more now, but never fear, Madame Razz is always prepared!”

“Lunch?” Swift Wind’s whole body seemed to perk, ears and tail in particular rising slightly up in the air. Lights seemed to sparkle around his face. 

“No, no, no!” Adora grasped onto Swift Wind’s saddle, grunting a bit. She gave him a scolding and unimpressed look. “I’m really sorry, but we need to get back to Bright Moon as soon as possible. I need to talk to Glitter and hope that she doesn’t completely hate me.”

“Are you sure dearie?” Madame Razz gave such a large pout that some part of Adora did actually feel bad, though she swallowed the feeling down. The hermit motioned back inside her house, where the crushed berries still sat pristinely on the counter. “I have enough for both of your winged compatriots!”

“No, really, it’s fine. I…” Adora trailed off and furrowed her brow as the woman’s words sunk in. “Both?” Adora and Swift Wind exchanged a look. With the same level of reluctance, the pair turned to look behind them.

The large, demonic horse had risen once more and was glaring down at them, even if both its eyes were rolling out in opposite directions. The unnatural horn giving off an insidious glow that could blemish the sun. More roots began to crawl from the shard, entangling the body further, along with an accompanying scream so potent that even Razz was forced to cover her ears. Between all of the bucking and braying, two shapes could be spied forming at the base of its back. Two large, crooked, bone-like wings. The light on it's body blinding and cold. Upon completion, it resembled a twisted reflection of a typical alicorn. 

And Swift Wind found the whole thing borderline offensive. “And what is THAT supposed to be?!” he snorted, digging one hoof into the ground in a display of their disapproval. “Are you trying to copy me? Well, see here sister, you've got another thing coming if you think you can duplicate this magnificent-”

It replied with a sound that was neither human nor animal, but something monstrous. Their own hoof slammed into the earth, and Adora watched with horror as the ground was actually split from the point of its impact as if it had just been stabbed by one of the Horde's war machines. She and her steed were only barely able to get out of the way before the jagged earth broke beneath them.

“This…wouldn’t have anything to do with those complications you mentioned, would it?”  Swift Wind timidly muttered. The bravado that they had once had was quickly dulled by the attack.

“Unfortunately, yeah, it does.” Adora fought back a sigh. Her gaze went between Madame Razz and Swift Wind before she took a large step forward. Without hesitation, she raised her sword into the air and focused. “FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!”

Adora felt immense warmth as the radiance enveloped her as it always had. Embracing her as the transformation commenced. Though it was never truly felt, she was keenly aware of her body growing in size and strength, now adorned with the robes and armour of Etheria's champion. The light soon disappeared from her view, or rather, she was the light. One with flowing blonde hair, golden bracers, and armed with the most powerful sword in the cosmos. She was She-Ra.

Without a word, she pointed the sword at the beast in silent challenge.

Using the twisted wings that had formed, the demonic horse lunged at her with double the speed. It was before her in the blink of an eye, but that was all that was needed for She-Ra to ready her sword defensively. The horn crashed into the blade, causing an unholy resonance as the two otherworldly materials collided. After the impact, however, the Princess of Power became aware of the sounds of pots and plates moving, as well as the sound of cooking and an all-too-familiar hum. She spared only a passing glance back to see what she had already knew - Madame Razz had shuffled back into her home and had set about cooking.

"Seriously?!" 

Without a wasted breath, the beast tried to use her distraction to gain ground. Taking a few defiant steps forward, attempting to chip through her sword and gore her body, but She-Ra was not so easily moved. With a mighty stomp, she dug her feet into the earth underneath, leaving indents that could put the hooves to shame. The princess’ hold on her sword grew firmer. With a determined cry, she pushed back against the horse and made it retract its steps and then some. The power struggle becoming painfully one-sided as her raw strength was put on full display. 

Desperate, the same wings that had propelled the horse forward began to slam at the sword; a fleet of dagger-shaped roots against the blade's brilliant edge. The pulsating sound that had first filled the air a short time prior now echoed repeatedly and urgently with every strike. The collision grew more potent until aftershocks were radiating from each point of impact. She-Ra rooted herself more firmly in the earth, taking every blow as it came. Swift Wind struggled to get close enough to do anything. By the time the alicorn was able to finally make their advance, the possessed horse’s bladed wings were left in tatters. 

Beyond the boiling point, the tense hold between the two was suddenly loosened as the beast used their battered wings to propel themselves up into the air. As the pair watched, the light that emanated from it's horn began to brighten, an encircling layer of magic gathering, becoming so potent it was like a second sun. 

"That looks like one of those finishing moves!” Swift Wind screamed out, almost in hysterics. 

She-Ra's eyes darkened. "Leave it to me."

There was no holding back anymore. She took several steps forward and readied her sword, outstretched, still as a mountain. Moment's later, the unholy light burst forth from the beast's horn, cutting through the air, right for her. It struck with enough force that anyone else might have been incinerated instantly, but she took the attack in its entirety with only a flinch and a gasp. It began to push her down, and she could feel her feet sliding back. There was no room for her to doubt. No room for her to accept that it was stronger than her. Adora was She-Ra. She had the duty. She had the will. And she had the power.

Her battle cry echoed out as she forced herself forward, the tip of her sword cleaving through the pillar of light; leftover sparkles disappearing back into nothingness. On and on it went, until an opening became clear. With all her might, she swung her sword in a perfect arch, countering the blast and propelling it back at the aerial assailant, the force of which caused the shard-horn to shake and splinter, its wicked wings nothing more than ash. She watched as, with a scream, it plummeted back down to the earth.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Adora and Swift Wind rushed over to the creature, her transformation already reverting mid-stride. Her gaze twisted with sympathy and grief as she saw the horse still writhing in agony and insanity upon the ground, it's body well and truly broken. It was painfully obvious that it wasn’t in control of itself. Uncertainty gripped her; Adora had never seen anything like it before, and the creature was in so much pain. Dread filled her belly as she looked down at the sword in her hand, the beginnings of a thought she did not want creeping up in the corners of her mind.

"I don't want it to suffer anymore..." 

“Though sometimes necessary, the blade cannot solve all matters in life.” The elderly voice made Adora yelp. She nearly dropped her weapon, her face contorted with a medley of confused expressions. “An open hand can do so much more.”

“Who said that?!” Swift Wing looked around wildly, clearly panicking. “Do you hear that!? I’m not imagining things, right Adora?! You definitely heard that! Why are we hearing voices?!” Swift Wind rambled to himself. Like Adora, they had been looking around wildly but, as nothing seemed to just appear out of nowhere, they had turned their gaze to their rider for support. Kicking out of habit. Definitely not in a good headspace. 

Adora didn’t respond. Her gaze had furrowed as she considered the stranger's words. The horse was still before her, still writhing. She took a deep breath, and sheathed her sword With slow steps, Adora made her way over and knelt down. She stared at the shard, imprinted onto the animal's skull. Another moment's hesitation, before she reached for it. At her side, her sword began to glow a beautiful colour, much more soothing than the poisonous light from before. As she pulled the shard little by little, the roots began to retract and fade with it. With a final grunt, Adora yanked it away in its entirety, falling back, now with a misshapen piece of bark wrapped in-between her fingers. Most surprising of all, there before her was a beautiful mare. Alive, healed, and normal. Unable to help herself, Adora gave a laugh as relief washed over her.

The horse, evidently confused and more than terrified of the horror that it had just had to endure, rose to its full stature. As it did, Adora did too. She brought one hand to the horse’s neck and pet it gently. It allowed her a few more strokes before letting out a potent snort, jetting off into the thickness of the woods, disappearing from view. 

“Adora. Partner. Dear friend. Please help me out here; what is going on?!” Adora turned as Swift Wind spoke, watching as the alicorn paced around her, caught somewhere between regular concern and a full breakdown.

“That voice...was the reason I left.” Adora felt her exhaustion begin to creep back over her body, but offered Swift Wind a tired smile. “It started speaking to me out of nowhere, so I panicked. I was headed straight for Light Hope to see if what it was saying was true. I didn't know if I was losing it, or this was another of the Horde's traps, so I ran away without telling," she looked out in the direction the horse had taken off. “I ran into our friend on the way and, well, you know the rest."

There was a heavy silence in the air as Swift Wind processed the explanation. Saying it out loud, Adora was struck by her own words too. After all, she hadn’t exactly had much time to consider the situation with everything happening so quickly. Things hadn’t gotten this extreme in a single day since she had first become She-Ra. She was distracted from her reminiscence as she felt Swift Wind nudge at her arm.

"So, we're not crazy?"

Adora slumped a bit. Her smile had faded into a concerned frown. "No, and that's what's so scary."

Swift Wind tilted his head a little. "Why?"

"Because it means the Horde isn't our only problem anymore, there's something worse out there. Much worse."

As another deep silence was threatening to fill the air between the two, the smell of delicious cooking and the tell-tale hum exuded from the small hamlet. The two spun around to see Madame Razz approaching them with the biggest smile the woman had to give, a large tray covered with jam sandwiches held teasingly in front of them. It seemed that she had prepared them for a great deal more than three people.

"Oh good! You're all here! Now we can eat!"

Chapter Text

It’s funny how often many grasped for things so close, and yet remained far out of reach. That was how all of this felt to Glimmer. Sitting at the head of the Council. Leading it. Leading all of Bright Moon for that matter. She couldn’t help but wish, not for the first time, that she had listened to her mother; a common regret she found herself struggling with these days. The memory of beating wings and sad smiles still haunting the edges of her mind.

“Your Majesty?”

The young ruler blinked, sitting straighter in her chair. Everyone was staring. In another time, she would have been flustered, or simply blinked away in a buff of light and magic. But she was Queen now, and she had to set an example. She had to lead. Staring down at the great display via a web of holographic imagery, she pieced it together the question she had missed. 

“We’ll bolster our forces at Plumeria, we can’t afford to lose any more than we have; we’re already low enough on morale and running out of space for refugees.” When did it become second nature to make decisions like this? Was this what it had been like for her mother? To make the hard calls? To pretend that it didn’t bother her to think about all the little settlements that they might lose in the west now? To think about all the innocents that might very well lose their lives?? No, she couldn’t think like that. Couldn’t let such things consume her. “With that, I declare this Council meeting dismissed.” 

Glimmer didn’t bother to wait around for the inevitable question, the very question that was burning in her own mind. Where did Adora go? Letting that question and the quiet stabs of envy that always seemed to accompany that name direct her to her room, the only place that seemed to offer her any solace these days. She couldn’t bear to move into her mother’s room - the Queen’s Chamber. It wasn’t right. It would be like admitting that she was really gone, as if the Trials hadn’t proved that enough. As if seeing her magical hologram hadn’t proved that enough.

Flopping back on her bed, Glimmer covered her gaze with the back of her hand, feeling the soft material of her glove against her closed eyelids. A soft and familiar knock sounded at the door, Glimmer forcing herself into a sitting position as Bow made his way in with a soft smile.

“Thought I would find you here. It’s nice to see that there are some things that being Queen hasn’t changed. ” he said, helping himself to the seat beside her. Bow leaned back on the heels of his palms, a silent question on his face. He didn’t push, knowing that she would open up whenever she was ready. 

“I’m...so worried, Bow. What if I’m not as good as she was?” Glimmer said, squawking out the words as they clung to her throat like hooks.

His expression stiffened. 

“Everyday there’s a new issue, a new plot of land that we lose to the Horde, and it feels like there’s nothing we can do about it! It feels like it’s eating me alive!” Running her hands through her hair, Glimmer rose to a standing position, followed by pacing. A lot of pacing. “And I know I’m not alone, I have you and Adora in my corner, which I appreciate because I really don’t think I do this alone...but where did she even go?! She just got up and left without a word to anyone! I need you guys more than ever!" Her shoulders shook a little, and Bow stood almost immediately, crossing the distance between them, wrapping an arm around her.

“You and I both know that it must have been something very, very important. Adora doesn't so this kind of thing on a whim.” he said.

Glimmer grumbled. “Well, whatever it was, it better be a matter of life and death.” 

“Ta-ra-ra-doo-day~ Doo-doo-beray!” Madame Razz could be heard singing on repeat at varying volumes all throughout the whispering wood as she laid out the table, ignoring the fact that there was still a rather large hole in her wall.

Swift Wind, to his credit, was doing his best to remove some of the rubble from the little hamlet. She had always been kind to him, and surprisingly, seemed to remember him quite well. He came to check up on her often, considering she was an old lady who lived on her own, in the middle of the woods of all places.

Adora, on the other hand, was honestly feeling rather nauseated as she eased herself into a seat. Which was a shame really, because those jam sandwiches looked really tasty. 

“Good!” Madame Razz said as both she and Swift Wind also made their way to the table, the slightly eccentric woman continuing as she proceeded to pull out some more chairs, “Now that everyone is together, we can have lunch!”

Adora looked concerned, but honestly she knew that she really ought to be more used to Madame Razz’s...inability to properly discern the two timelines she seemed to be stuck in.

“Madame Razz, we’re the only ones here.” she said, resting her arm against the table, still sore from the encounter with their ferocious, and infected, foe. 

“My, my. This dear woman seems to have sight beyond sight.”

"GAH!" Adora reeled, Swift Wind sharing in her shock, only tenfold.

“Oh-ho, you’re such a charmer! Please, do go on,” Razz said with another little laugh as she helped herself to one of the sandwiches.

“Who was that!? Adora, is this the same voice as before?!” Swift Wind shook his head back and forth, his front hooves stomping a little as his wings fluffed out a bit in distress. “I mean, I know I definitely didn’t sign up for this, did you sign us up for something when I wasn’t looking? Didn’t I tell you those door to door sales were scams?!”

As Swift Wind spoke, more voices flooded in, and Adora found herself cradling her temple in her hands, the sensation seriously starting to sting, as if she had just gone a few rounds with some Horde tanks - right to the face

"Wait, who are you? Does that horse have wings? Is that winged horse talking?!"

The questions seemed to overlap everything, becoming of echoes, one hammering along the landscape that was Adora's mind, to the extent that she was clutching her head in agony, the makings of a scream slowly breaking out. 

"Stop. Stop it! Everyone - just - SHUT UP!" she howled. 

The ground around her splintered, uprooted, her eyes flickering with light. Over and over. Building. Burning. Too much. Her skull threatening to snap. 

“Raven, perhaps it would be best if everyone was granted some breathing room?” Iroh's voice broke though, cutting through the noise.

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”

Calmness, almost eerily so, settled in her headspace. Adora had opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of fog, with shadows dancing at its edges. 

“What’s going on? What is this place?” she asked. As she spoke, the fog started to clear, making a pathway, as if it was silently beckoning her to follow. Taking a steadying breath, Adora started to walk, glancing around her as she did so. As the fog started to clear, she saw that the shadows of before were the outlines of mirrors. Some whole, even radiant, while others were broken, and emitting small tendrils out of the darkest black. As her eyes tried to catch her own reflection, Adora was met with sights that were not her own. Shapes, people, places, scenes of a life that was not her own. Smiles and screams. Pain and triumph. The fog that surrounded her started to wrap itself around her ankles the further she went. Just when she was tempted to call out for answers again, she found herself stopping, or rather forced to stop, in front of three full-size mirrors. Only this time, the people inside were staring back at her.

One of them held up a hand.

“Um...hello?"

Adora’s fight or flight response instantly kicked in. She whirled into a high kick her heavy boots landing against the glass. A river of cracks formed, but there was no shattering.  

“Please don’t do that again, unless you would like your psyche to splinter,” Raven spoke from behind the silver sheen, as the mirror reformed once again, her tone offering nothing but cool boredom.

“Quick thinking, Miss Raven. This is more than adequate for what we need.” Iroh said, a chirp in his voice. Unlike the others, his form was much more spectral in appearance, and he didn’t seem to be confined to a single mirror, rather choosing to appear over the shoulder of all three girls; who in turn, had much more solid images.

“I wasn’t given much of a choice. We’re all lucky that something this corporeal was even possible, considering the circumstances.” 

“Circumstances? What are you saying? What in the name of Etheria is going on here?!” Adora asked, quite literally the last to the party. 

Raven gave one of her signature sighs. “This,” she said with a small gesture to the area around them, “shouldn’t be possible. We all are currently connected through a psychic tether of my own creation, and that tether in turn, created this...nexus. A pocket dimension if you will, one that contains a physical representation the new hive subconscious that we all share. This space allows us to all comprehend each other without any accompanying interdimensional agony, despite our actual bodies being literal worlds apart.” She paused briefly, as if to let everything she said so far sink in.“ I can only imagine that this is possible due to the sliver of the Avatar's power that I’m borrowing, otherwise this would be even more unstable than it already is. Even meeting like this is incredibly dangerous and not at all worth the risk.” Raven’s piercing gaze seemed to meet Iroh’s where he hung over Adora’s shoulder, who was quick to respond.

“Dangerous as it may be, it was quite necessary. The situation that we face requires the mind of a powerful sorceress, the spiritual connection of the Avatar, and the magical force of a warrior princess.” As he spoke, Iroh flashed behind each of them in their respective mirror. “Gathered together here, are the three pillars left to preserve peace across the worlds.”

All three shared a silent look. 

“I understand that it is inconvenient, for the three of you to be plucked from your lives and duties, but this threat cannot be ignored.” With a wave of his hand, all three mirrors glossed over, their glass bellies illuminating the previous battle between Korra and Azula. The latter's flames threatening to spill out of the frames. 

Raven raised a brow as she watched the scene dissolve in another wave of blue fire. “You totally lost that fight.”

"Don’t remind me," Korra replied, no mistaking the underlying tone of guilt and self-disappointment that coated her words.

“If the Tree of Time is not healed,” the imagery shifted again; reflecting a smoking and seemingly lifeless husk of a tree, “calamity will follow, ebbing into each and every world until all come to ruin”  Iroh’s voice was grave, though there was an underlining warmth to it. “Fortunately, you have all taken the first step to restoring it. All of you have succeeded in collecting a shards of the tree.”

Having been called upon, each of the shards appearing before them, floating and bobbing lightly in the mist.

“This is just three out of what could be a possible thousand pieces.” Raven commented with a shake of her head.

“Normally, yes, that would be a bit of a hurdle, but we have already have a solution. As you see, the Tree of Life is no ordinary plant, is it Korra?” Iroh said as his gaze turned to the Avatar. 

She paused before just a moment, readjusting herself, before reaching out to her shard, a look of intense focus in her gaze, even through the fog and glass. 

“What is she doing?” Adora asked.

“Probably something weirdly useful," Raven said. 

Locations, noise, people, spirits, and everything in between, it all swirled around Korra like a whirlwind, flickers of moments in time and space, plucked out and paused before carefully placed back into the vortex while Korra continued her mental search. Reaching out into the aether as only the Avatar could, grasping out, honing in, hunting for the sensation unique only to the Tree's essence. One second became two. Two became ten. Ten became twelve. Twelve lights appeared before her mind's eye, swirling together at nauseating speed before joining; a brilliant flood of light bursting forth, only to take shape once more and become roots, spiralling into the splendid form; a canopy of life and endlessness.

It took a full heartbeat Korra to fully comprehend what she saw. “They’re not just pieces!” she said. “They’re central components! The pieces we have, they’re like...beacons, reaching out to every scattered piece of bark and branch.”

Raven puzzled expression lifted. “They're keystones?"

“Precisely. In order to both protect and restore itself, the Tree flooded as much of its essence into a select amount of fragments. Should these be gathered, it will likely cause the rest to seek out and complete the whole. Of course, this isn’t a perfect system, as you have all seen. Even the smallest of shards can act as a double edged sword, for those without the sufficient means or ability to handle the shards such as you three, will inevitably fall prey to the sheer excess power that the Tree offers. Which is why I sought to bring you three together, to safeguard the tree's recovery and those who may fall prey it's undoing.” 

“So how many of these core shards are there?" Raven asked.

Korra rubbed the back of her neck, “Well, I saw twelve lights.”

“So, twelve shards. No pressure, then.” Raven said, rolling her eyes.

“The other nine must be recovered as quickly as possible. We are fortunate that those remaining are drawn to one another. Before long the missing shards will reveal themselves across your respective worlds, and you must be ready to reclaim them, no matter what.” 

The interruption of Adora's fists slamming down on the mirror before her drove conversation to a standstill. Her face writing in bitterness. 

“I...don’t know about your worlds, but mine? Bright Moon. My home. It's in the middle of a war. The Horde is getting closer to our doorstep every day, and as She-Ra, it’s my responsibility to put a stop to them. If Hordak and Catra get their way, that’s it! No more Bright Moon, no more Princess Alliance, no more magic, no more anything! ” Adora’s shoulders shook, but her features, her expression, remains steadfast. Defiant in the memory of all that had been lost. “Look, I want to help, I really do; but Etheria needs me. My friends need me.” Her voice cracked. "I...can't let anyone else die."

There was a single moment of pause of hang silence. 

“Cat-who?”

“What’s a She-Ra?”

Adora blinked, only for a pink shade to coat her cheeks “C-Catra is my best friend! Or well, she was, she tried to kill me a few times. Okay, she tried to kill me plenty of times, and she’s part cat. But that's not the point! And She-Ra is this eight-foot tall warrior woman...princess? She's the Princess of Power, and everyone looks up to her and has these prophecies about her and she’s me and I’m her and–” she rambled, any sense of eloquence long abandoned.

Raven looked Adora up and down with a single glance before raising a brow. “You turn eight feet? How?”

Adora looked little chagrined. “It’s the sword, it’s magic. It's a relic of-”

Raven cut her off, again. “So the sword grows eight feet? That doesn’t seem practical.”

"No, it’s–”

A second interjection, this time courtesy of Korra. “What kind of cat friend are we talking about here? Because my best friend is a polar bear dog, though most days she's acts like a noble steed and-”

"What?!” Adora and Raven's harmonised in confusion

"What? You two don't have polar bear dogs?" Korra asked, arms folded. 

“That sounds all kinds of messed up," Raven said. 

“Naga is not messed up! You take that back!” Korra snapped back. 

“You’re the one that’s apparently breeding dogs with polar bears.”

“Huh?! That’s -"

“What in Grayskull's name is a polar bear?!" 

And on and on it went. A cycle of rebuttals and witty retorts, mostly on Raven's part, to which Korra eventually gave an exasperated look towards Iroh, her eyes lined with the clear question of "did you really may the right choice?" To which he simply gave a knowing smile, and gesture to the others, as if to tell Korra to keep listening.

Adora, who seemed to be more embarrassed at the fact that there were more things the Horde kept from her and how she looked more foolish in front of these strangers from other worlds, gave an exasperated yell. “Okay! That’s enough, listen and no more interruptions!” she barked, straightening herself like a soldier would.  “She-Ra is more than just a sword, or a person, she’s a mantle, a title that’s been passed down from one person to another. Her role is to protect Etheria, in fact she’s the sole protector of Etheria! I have to do this, I have to be She-Ra. I was chosen. And if I don’t live up to what Mara and the others did, then my friends are...they’re still in danger. I...I can’t let anyone else get hurt.” She felt like tearing out her hair. "You could never understand what it means to - "

“I'm the same." Korra's echoed out, suddenly and sharply, like she was barely able to contain herself. "I’m the Avatar. I’m supposed to protect the people and the spirits of my world, to bring balance to all things. I’m the latest in a long line, and...I might just be the last. I...didn’t have a choice in becoming what I am, but I understand doing this for your friends, for the people you love," she paused. "What we’re doing right here, this mission, these shards...retrieving them is going to save everyone. We have to do this. And I promise, Adora...She-Ra, I will protect your friends and your world too. You won’t be alone.” 

Adora's eyes glossed with a new light, and for the first time all day, she felt her heart start to elevate a little, almost to the point she wanted to laugh. "Jeez...what a weird way to make friends," she smiled. "But, all the same...thank you. Same goes for me, wouldn't be much of a Princess of Power if I ran away from a fight. Even one as ridiculous as this. So...count me in."

And then all attention fell to Raven. 

“Seriously?”

Adora and Korra didn’t bat an eye.

"For Azar's sake," Raven groaned, before removing her hood to finally reveal her ashen face to the two strangers in the mirror. “Unlike the two of you, I was born from darkness. I was born to destroy, to unmake, to pave the way for a greater evil to unbalance all things. My powers, they come from a dangerous place. If my emotions ever escape my control, the demon side of my heritage, the one in me, will bring about pain unimaginable.” 

A moment of thick silence.

“Did she say demon?” Korra asked.

“That’s hardcore.” Adora responded. 

"Shut up.” Raven said. “I’ve always fought as part of a team for that exact reason, to find those that could help keep me centred, in check. My team, the Titans, support me regardless. In spite of everything, of what I am, they still stand by me.” She glanced up from her hands to find the other two all staring at her with small smiles. Raven held on to her stoic expression for as long as she could before relenting “Well, it’s certainly not traditional...but I guess this isn’t a traditional problem. So I guess that makes us...a team. Of sorts.” 

"That's what I'm talking about! You aren't so bad after all Rae!" Korra grinned. 

"Never call me that again."

And just like that, Adora found herself back at Madame Razz’s table, with both the eccentric witch and Swift Wind staring at her; the latter struggling to look concerned as he had an entire mouthful of jam sandwiches stuffed in his mouth.

“How are you dearie?” Razz questioned. 

How long had she been in that...mirrorscape? On the one hand, she supposed that wasn’t the most pressing matter. She took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly as she turned the question over in her mind. “I...I don’t know.” she said finally.

Razz chuckled softly. “Well, Mara dearie, you look ready.” A knowing smile pulled at the corner of her lips.

Adora returned the smile, before picking up a sandwich and shoved it into her mouth, thanking the woman with her mouth full, motioning for Swift Wind to follow her as she hurriedly chewed and swallowed thickly.

“Where are we rushing off too?” her winged companion asked as they made it outside, lowering himself slightly so that Adora could climb up onto his back, who subsequently directed him into the skies above. 

“We’ve got worlds to save Swiftie!” 

Chapter Text

“Welcome all, to the tenth national showing of the Empire Island’s very own theatrical troupe! Hurry up and find your seats now, no time for lollygagging, we have an absolutely extravagant show to put on for you all tonight.” The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere but nowhere at once, echoing over the cluster of people that were all hurrying to find their seats. 

“As many of you know, our production stems from very humble origins. All the way back to Cabbages: The Musical. Again, no cabbages were harmed in the making of the musical, we assure you.” 

That part wasn’t at all true, but rather than go through the civil issues again, the theatre group had agreed to include that ongoing disclaimer. Other notable titles that the theatre had put on in recent years included Our Hearts are Ice Caps, Let Us Melt and Of Bromance and Bending. Of course, none were as popular as the ensuing show, having been brought back into mainstream popularity by the new owner of the Empire Island Theatre Company, a rather eccentric man by the name of Juéwàng Shazi, the only thing bigger than his smile being the list of charges he apparently wrangled up back in the Earth Kingdom.

Was it a bit unwise to have the play be put on after the rumours of what had occurred at the Boiling Rock? Perhaps, and that was certainly in the undercurrent of murmurs that were flying amongst the audience while the disembodied voice droned on. As the final stragglers found their seats, the voice fell to a hush, the lights dimming, and a spotlight being angled down at the center of the stage. Shazi himself came dashing onto the stage in that signature little run of his, a brilliant grin decorating his face. “Welcome, welcome!” he said cheerfully. “It is absolutely wonderful to be able to put this show on for you all a tenth time! What a milestone! I’m just glad that no one is tired of hearing about old mad Azula yet!” His laugh that echoed in waves by the audience.

All saved for one; a young woman who had made herself a home in one of the topmost viewing boxes. She seemed to be a private person, as she wore a long yet fashionable trench coat, her long black hair elegantly cascading down to the middle of her back. Her makeup was quite heavy but it wasn’t terribly done, if anything it just showed the hand of inexperience. Also adoring her features was a pair of complementary opera glasses. 

Shazi continued to eat away the minutes discussing the history of the play, where they had come from and so on, along with the occasional tangent wherein he flagrantly displayed a series of less dubious sponsors. Eventually, his tangents led him to the casting, and the jewel of the whole production. 

“And starring in the role of the Mad Princess Azula, our leading lady, Miss Yin Sang Yin!” 

An eruption of applause followed, and the play began. 

Act 1, Scene Three. 

“How dare you spill syrup on the Fire Nation’s Princess!?” "Azula" screeched at her servant. The stage had been set up for a breakfast set, where her costume having been thoroughly doused in what looked like actual syrup. “You will burn for this!!” Throwing out her hand, streamers of brilliant blue that had been painstakingly shaped into flames were flung out, where the opposing actor fell to the stage’s floor with a scream.  

Act 1, Scene Six.

“I can’t believe Father would get me such an insolent pet! It doesn’t even listen to basic commands.” "Azula" hissed as she watched the badgerfrog hop around on the stage. “Are you sure you’re training it right?” "Ty Lee" questioned as she did cartwheels after the frog. “I mean I think it’s pretty cute as it is.” she added, sticking her tongue out at it as she ended up in front of it. A look of anger came across the "Azula's" face, before fading into one of cool displeasure. “If you like it so much Ty Lee, why not stick around to join its fate?” she questioned, giving a dark smirk. The actress in question gave a visible gulp and was quick to scramble to a normal standing position as she scurried away. “That’s what I thought.” Clearing her throat, she gave a cool glare to the pet. “I have no use for useless things - let this serve as a reminder to the both of you as well.” With that, a similar bout of streamers were thrown at the badgerfrog, who had to be retrieved by a stagehand, which allowed for a lengthy laugh from the audience. 

Act 2, Scene Four. 

“C’mon, you know I didn’t mean it!” a young man pleaded as he scrambled across the floor backwards.

“You said that Mai’s dress was far prettier than mine, and that you would rather be dancing with her than with me?! ME! And after I spent hours screaming at servants to get my perfect hair just right! You have made your grave, now it’s time to burn in it.” "Azula" said as she raised her hand.

“Wait babe, please!”

“It’s Princess Azula to you, peasant boy!” Once again, the streamers made an appearance; burning the supposed lover where he lay sobbing and mock screaming. The streamers cascading into the audience to much delight. 

Act 3. Final Scene.

“What are we going to do?” an actress dressed in old traditional Water Tribe garments lamented. “We cannot defeat her! I am but a lowly Water Tribe girl, and you are so grievously wounded-” Holding each other up were renditions of both Zuko and Katara, who shared a worried look between them, while "Azula" was cackling like a madwoman.

“You fools, you thought that you stood a chance? You thought you could defeat me? Why, dear brother, it appears that you far stupider than you look! Do you really think that you and your little girlfriend could best Fire Lord Azula? Soon you both will be nothing but cinders at my feet, and I will be the one to lead our great nation into a new era of conquest! The world will know my name! A-Z-U-L-A!” Another bout of maniacal cackles.

There was a moment of audible gasps from the audience, before "Zuko" steeled his resolve, standing a little taller. “Fear not! I may be at death’s door, and you may be useless, but...we still have...” Zuko’s words seemed laboured before turning and grabbing Katara’s hands, the throes of an angelic choir starting to sound in the background. “THE POWER OF LOVE!” 

The music swelled, and with each passing note "Azula" stumbled backwards, chains moving to wrap around her, courtesy of the metalbenders behind the stage, pinning her to the floor.

“No! No! NOOO! This is not the end! One day you will kneel at my feet brother! Nobody makes a fool out of Azula and lives!” As she howled on, guards appeared on stage, picking her up and quite literally dragging her off while the audience roared their approval among thick rounds of applause, followed by a standing ovation. 

The stranger in the seating box however, had a much more subdued reaction. She was clapping, of course, but slowly. Methodically. The tight little smile that pulled on her face was also something that lacked mirth or joy, but rather held the promise of something else. Something...praetorial.

Yin had long since retired to her dressing room following the final bow, having changed down to the more basic elements of her costume for comfort. All across her dressing room were large bouquets of flowers, chocolates, plush animals, and other such articles meant to garner her favour. In the corner, a large basket was a towering stack of letters that she kept telling herself she would read eventually. Seated at her vanity mirror, there were a few more bouquets haphazardly stacked on the edges, with a full cast photo tucked in the corner of the frame in the mirror itself. Scrubbing at her face with a clean and somewhat damp cloth, a content yet exhausted sigh escaped her. 

It was then that the door swung open, though Yin didn’t think anything of it. “Rockefeller, can you please tell everyone that I’m no longer accepting gifts at the moment? I’m afraid that at this point we’re going to run out of space.” the young actress said, a laugh decorating her words. She had no other reason to believe that the person who had just entered was anyone but her bodyguard. The man in question was a great earthbender, in both might and size. Easily dwarfing her at well over six feet, Rockefeller had enough muscles to put any ‘professional’ strong-man to shame. Though, as Yin glanced in the mirror, she saw that the individual wasn’t her famously grump guard, but rather a woman that she had never seen before. 

“Hello," the stranger spoke, a soft yet cold smile pulling at her lips as she stared at the other, not yet moving. 

Yin turned in her chair, taking in the full appearance of the woman. Despite her heavy makeup, she was actually quite beautiful. Her long auburn hair stabbed a pang of envy in the young actress. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Did my bodyguard let you in?” she asked, trying to sound pleasant, but behind her eyes there was already a complaint forming.

“Oh, there wasn’t anyone out there.” she replied, stepping forward as she let the door swing shut behind her. As it did so, Yin caught sight of some sort of dust swirl in the draft. Black dust. “I do hope that I’m not crossing any lines, I’m just such a huge fan of your work. I couldn’t stand to pass up an opportunity to speak with you.” 

There was a sparkle in Yin's eyes, like a sweet spot had been hit. A sponge for praise, as per usual. So she instead chose to turn around in her chair so as to finish taking off her makeup, all the while grumbling about how unprofessional Rockefeller was. “Oh, well, thank you. It’s always nice to meet a fan.” Yin responded, glancing back at the woman in the mirror, clearly become disinterested in the whole affair. Though that didn't seem to deter her guest.

“Your performance as Azula tonight was truly captivating," the stranger spoke as she got closer, her head tilting to the side just so. “I was riveted. You really captured all the emotional complexities of the character.”

“The role was easy to step into. I’ve always believed that despite the craziness, Azula and I share a lot of base characteristics. You know, a little boy crazy, wanting to soak up the limelight, we've all been there. Splash on some fake outrage, and you've got yourself a picturesque mad princess,” Yin chuckled.  

There was the faintest dip in the stranger's smile. “Did you ever visit her? You've put in so much...time and research, surely you met Azula in real-life?”

The question prompted an actual laugh out of Yin. “Of course not! Her life is so well documented as is. What would I have to gain by visiting a bag of creepy old bones whose memory is probably all over the place," she said, slowly rising out of her sear. “Thank you for coming by. I might have to host a proper meet and greet soon. You should come by, I’ll give you an autograph free of charge. With how much attention this last show got, I won’t be surprised if the royal family came down to see us on our next performance! I play the role so well that I bet even Fire Lord Zuko would believe that it was his actual sister up on stage!” Yin giggled, pumping her fists a little. 

Two hands latched around her shoulders, pushing her back into the chair with little resistance. Yin barely having time to appear shocked before the stranger's face was by her own, lips brushing against her ear, their voice dropping to that of a whisper. 

“Allow me to fill in the gaps that your pitiful performance glossed over,” she hissed. “I never had a badgerfrog. My first pet was actually the first boy I liked. Quite the insolent one, he was. Spurning my declaration of love because he was afraid of me. Of course, he had every reason to be. I like to think he regretted his decision once I had him brought to me, bound in chains. Unfortunately, he was just as big a failure of a pet as he was a boyfriend. He never learned any of the tricks I tried to teach him. So I did the sensible thing and had him put down.” 

Yin’s blood chilled, not daring to utter a word as the stranger continued on, her hands now alight with blue flames, licking hungrily at the actress’s shoulders.

“Your play states that even after they betraying me, I still held great affection to Mai and Ty Lee. Adorable," she chuckled. "Adorable that you playwrights didn't think I would take any and all opportunity to hunt those traitors down and make them regret ever being born. Like I would ram one of Mai's needles down her throat, or I would break every bone in Ty Lee's circus freak body. If old age hadn't already robbed me of the chance - our reunion would already be underway."

Thick tears started to clog Yin's vision. A heavy sob is wrenched in her throat.

“Though, I do have to admit - for all your falsities, your insults, and your treasonous jests, there is one thing that you, a bumbling clown, did get right." her smile widened, eyes unblinking. "Nobody makes a fool out of Azula and lives.”

Blue and silver flames coated Yin’s skin. The mirror. The dozens of bouquets that surrounded it. All of it turning into black dust in a single, blinding moment.

Azula stepped out of the theatre with a spring in her step and a glint in her eye, not even pausing as a shrill scream sounded from within the depths of the theatre. If anything, the sound propelled her forward, weaving through alleyways like a cat. 

"What a wonderful way to spend an evening," she chuckled to herself. 

Only for that smile to contort as she doubled over in pain. Barely able to catch herself in the moment, reaching to grasp the nearby wall. Eyes wide. Voice caught in her throat. Gasping at nothing. Shadows and images flooding into her vision, but nothing tangible. Instead, three ghosts appeared before her. Flashes of faces she barely knew. Their expressions unreadable. 

The Avatar; tall and well-built, dressed in that ridiculous Water Tribe garb. Spiritual spawn of the Air Nomad she had brought to near death. She deserved to watch her home melt and boil. A transcendent revenge.

The second; ivory skin, with a unique shade of purple hair. Darkness behind amethyst eyes. A crimson gemstone nestled dead centre in the middle of her forehead. Unknown words on unknown lips. A bird? Clip her wings and stuff her bloated body in a cage. 

The third and final face. Another woman. A warrior. Impossibly tall. Unblinking. Radiant. A self-righteous light. Thinking herself beyond the flames. Strong enough to cleave through all. Truly detestable. Take her head with her own sword. Leave her body as a warning to all 

Breath found Azula's lungs, causing her to cry out as she collapsed, clutching at her chest. As if her body had forgotten how to live for the briefest of moments. Her senses returned, ignoring the dizziness, forcing herself to return to full height. Swallowing the night air. No one could see her falter. She was beyond such things.

"Who..." words failed her, but it didn't matter. Each of their faces had only flashed by for a second, but a second was long enough for Azula to commit them all to memory.

Had it been a trick of the light? Maybe her arm had seized up because her body wasn’t used to its current state. Yes, that was it. She just needed time to adjust. Nodding a little to herself, Azula straightened and dusted the ash from her clothes. The Avatar could wait, as could her mysterious vision, as could the random splotches of pain. Everything else came secondary. After all, she had a family reunion to organize. 

Her smile returned. "See you soon, Zuzu."

Chapter Text

The Earth Kingdom had always been private in nature, but so much of it had changed in recent years, especially following it's brief dictatorship under the moniker of the Earth Empire. It's wide valleys welcoming both progress and strangers from afar. Its rolling green mountains a common sight as the airship slowly but steadily made its way towards the shimmering city of Zaofu. Aboard, resting in the small, privatised compartment, Korra rested in her typical meditative position.  

Breathe in.

Legs crossed, fists pressed together, eyes closed. One deep breath. Two. Meditation used to be something that she never could get the hang of, but now it was something that she found solace in. It helped her ground herself, collect her thoughts. 

Breathe out.

Korra’s heart slowed, it’s beating and her breathing soon became the only thing she could hear. The thrum of the craft fell away. The hushed tones of those in the next room faded. Her heartbeat nothing more than a dull noise. It was usually a private affair, something she found great comfort in. Now? Not so much.

As she opened her eyes, so to speak, Korra once again found herself in the realm collected of minds and fog, sitting cross-legged between the two wide, intricately designed mirrors that were now acting as gateways of sorts. With every breath taken, what was once a simple reflection morphed into something more. A cycle of images drawn from memory, of faces she had seen and places she had visited. Home. Her parents. Mako. Asami. Even Azula. The images lingered for a bit, before dissipating and subsequently replaced by those that now shared her head space.

Adora spoke first. “Your tech is absolutely wild! It’s so different from anything in Etheria."

“It’s more like a smorgasbord of outlandish contradictions. The blimp not withstanding” Raven added.

“Hey!" Korra snapped back. "Airships like this are best for long distance travel, otherwise I would have snagged a sky bison or crossed country with Naga."

“You do know that none of that made any sense, right?” Raven questioned.

“What’s a sky bison? And a Naga? I just have Swiftie.” Adora said.

"What I don't understand," Raven continued, "is how you, the guardian of all elements, need something like this. Can’t you just fly over? You have the very wind at your fingertips." 

Before Korra could reply, the mirrors answered for her. Memoires surging, leaking out. 

A tall man. Shaved head. Scars lingering along his scalp. Scars dominating the very fabric of his soul. From his fists emerged bursts of air that sent her flying. His words stripped of emotion, cut down to the very core. Looking upon her with empty eyes. Hollow.  

"Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty, and become wind." 

Chains bound her body. The liquid death filling her veins. Agony erupted from within

“Korra?" Adora's voice echoed out. "Are you okay?" she asked, leaning heavily on her own mirror, from behind the unnatural glass, a look of great concern on her features. Raven too, was concerned, though for a far different reason. The images of the floating figure, as well as the Avatar bound and beaten. 

Shaken, Korra still forced a smile. “I’m fine. Flying is...just not my thing," she said, rubbing her arms as if to scrub off the memories.

Raven's eyes darkened. “This isn't good," she muttered. “Iroh, the interdimensional bleeding is getting worse. Memories are already being shared through the hive mind," she stated, "If this continues, it won't be long before the lines between our consciousnesses entirely fade." 

"And I take it that's bad?" Adora added. 

"Our sense of self will become so warped and misshapen that while our minds wrestle to regain control, our bodies will turn to husks. It's the cruellest of ends. So yes, it's very bad," Raven said.

An almost deadly silence fell between the trio, with no reply from their elderly host. 

“Iroh?” Korra called out.

There were several more heartbeats of quiet before the sagely Firebender appeared. Flickering. His form closer to a dying ember than that of a raging inferno. Still, his smile remained.

“You are not wrong, young Raven," his voice waning with every syllable. "Time never was on our side."

"Iroh?! What's happening to you?!" Korra asked, rushing over to the mirror's edge. Worry consuming her.

“The web that connects each of you has been stretched to its absolute limit. As such, it is unwise for an old spirit such as myself to attempt to cling to this place, to you, any longer. Put simply, there just isn’t any room for this form to inhabit. Perhaps I shouldn't have indulged in so much of those tea cakes during the final years of my life,” he laughed, somewhat weakly. 

Korra paled. “Are you going to be okay?"

“You needn’t worry yourself, Korra. This is only a minor inconvenience. It would simply be best if I recuse myself deeper into the Spirit World for the time being." He flickered again, this time more harshly than before. “But, before I go, allow me to leave you three with some parting words. You have all the tools that you need to fix what has been broken, but remember, balance comes in many forms, and though the pitfalls of life often seem bottomless, all that is needed is trust to build the necessary bridges.” A soft smile. "Good luck." 

And just like that, he vanished, and all was quiet. 

Raven looked upon Korra's dishevelled features, parted her lips, and was about to speak, before the sound of an opening door drew away their attention. And just like that, the Avatar awoke to her own reality, just in time to see Lin walk in. 

“You okay?” she asked.

Korra pushed herself up, running a hand over her sweltering brow. “I’m fine," she replied, offering one of her signature smiles.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Lin replied. 

"Am not."

"Are too."

“Now you sound like your mother.”

“Maybe if you didn’t act like a child all the time, then I wouldn't have to." 

“Maybe you’re just being paranoid again.” 

“Maybe I’m just trying to make sure you’re not hiding anything!” 

“There you go sounding like Toph again!” 

Their bickering continued even as they walked onto the bridge together, at least until they burnt themselves out. The two eventually leaning against the railing, looking out into the distance as the airship passed over another hurdle of cliff and country. Eventually the view shifted to that of a splendid silver. Before their eyes was none other than the glory of the Earth Kingdom's shining jewel - the steel city of Zaofu. Home to artisans and eccentrics alike. 

“So what made you change your mind?" Lin asked. "Practically begging to be let on seconds before take off? Not usually your style. So spill.” 

Another moment of silence, Korra's fingers absentmindedly playing with her bangles. 

“A lot has happened. Almost...too much. But in the midst of it all, I’ve been able to widen the scope of my Avatar abilities.” Korra started, “And so I’ve been able to see and sense further than I ever before. It's hard to explain but I think - I know - that what I'm searching for is somewhere in Zaofu. It's just worrying because what I'm looking for is dangerous, and after everything that happened with Kuvira, I think Zaofu deserves some peace."

Lin lets the words hang between them for a moment, before she clapped Korra on the back. So hard in fact that the Avatar was nearly folded onto the floor.

“Cheer up, will ya? If what you’re looking for here can sort out our little international incident, then its worth it. Besides, if anyone can help, it's my sister." 

“You sound confident.” Korra mused, sore in voice as well as her face from the Beifong's not-so gentle touch.

“You know Su. She’ll have everyone and their grandmother combing over every inch of this place until they find what you need,” Lin said. 

Korra visibly relaxed, giving a little smile. And then, a sound of thunder. Lashing against their collective ears, all looked to the horizon. From the bridge, it was easy to spy the not-so-distant city. It's size. It's shape. Even the many spires dotted along it's branching frame. One of which had now started to shake and splinter. It was easy to see one of the spires start to splinter. Once again, thunderous noise shook the sky, with the great metal frame meeting the earth below it. 

Abject horror filled the faces of all those on board. 

“Maximum acceleration! Get us over there right now!" Lin yelled. 

"The craft can't go any faster, ma’am!” the pilot called back, voice shaking.

Venom and fear in here eyes, Lin didn’t hesitate as she rushed over to the nearby airlock, practically tearing it open, before leaping out into the open sky.

Korra was left aghast before finally snapping herself back, pointing at the pilot. “Find somewhere safe to land and radio in for help!” Korra she ordered, right before rushing towards the same airlock, taking a breath, and hurtling herself out. The world now rapidly approaching below her feet. 

“I thought you said that you couldn’t fly!” Raven’s voice rang out. 

“Still can’t!” Korra cried out. 

As she descended at a terrifying pace, she spied Lin in the distance. A metal cable launched from the wrist of her armor, attaching itself to one of the many rail lines that wove between Zaofu's various platforms. The force was immense, but she showed zero signs of slowing down. Launching herself up onto the railway, Lin bolted forward. Her arms swinging themselves backwards in a butterfly stroke, and soon enough, her feet began to glide along the steel railings as if she were skating on ice. Sparks tore behind her as she metalbended her way across towards the nearest platform at the heart of Zaofu. 

“Whoa.” Adora gaped, an unmistakable note of awe in her voice. "Please tell me you can do that too!"

“Nope - but I can do this!”

Reaching out with her full might, Korra bent the the water from the nearby river snaking it's way through the city's undergrowth. From there, the torrent morphed into a spiralling vortex, one that soon surged up to crash against Korra's feet. Dampening the soles of her shoes but slowing her descent. Steadying herself, she leapt from the water's edge like it were nothing more than a snowbank. Arching through the air, she jerked her feet backwards. In place of water, fire was unleashed, launching her forward in the most ungraceful of manners. Stumbling and shaking, the twin flames eventually landed her along the same rail line. 

"Nice," Adora said. 

"Tad excessive," Raven added.

Pulling herself up, Korra did her best to take off running, Lin now nothing more than a blip in the distance. “Lin! Wait up!”

Lin ignored her, instead shooting up her cable to scale the city wall. Now that they were both close enough, they cpuld see that the main entrance to Zaofu's has been brought down, making it nearly impossible for its typical mode of transport to either enter the city. By the time that Korra reached the wall proper, Lin was far beyond her sight. 

“I have a really bad feeling about this.” Adora said. 

"So do I, but I’m not about to let that stop me.” Korra replied. From her position at the base of the wall, she slammed her palms down towards the ground in order to unleash a powerful blast of air that launches her to about the halfway mark of the metal wall. Not about to let that deter her, Korra's fingers pressed to it's shimmering surface; creating crude half-ledges in the process. One by one, she pulled herself up until she too had finally entered the domain of Zaofu's citizenry.

The sight that greets her was not a pleasant one. All throughout the city, spires lay broken and scattered. What was once towers and streets had been torn apart. Spikes of stone now protruding from the steel ground. Large, curved, laced with both fragments of Zaofu's arcitecture as well as its denizens. Countless, they appeared to have pierced along each part of the city, through each biome and from every angle. Like bone piercing out of a wound. Some of the citizens that could still move were running as fast as their legs could carry them. Holding onto their injured, and in some worse cases, their departed.

Choosing to ignore the dread bubbling up inside her, Korra made a beeline westward. 

"Where are you going?” Raven asked.  

“Lin’s family is close by, I have to make sure that they’re okay!”

There was a heavy pause from Raven before spoke again.“I know that there’s no point in telling you to calm down, but it’s imperative that you’re aware of what you’re running into. Surely you can sense it too.”

“I know. I can feel it.” A low growl escaped Korra. "The shard, it's nearby."

Sprinting through the city, using her bending where she could to break through structures and help out those buried under the debris, the Avatar had never missed Naga more than this moment. Zaofu was many things; simple to navigate was not one of them. After what seemed like a small age, Korra finally made it to Zaofu's furthest platform, on which rested the Beifong Estate. At least, what was left of it. Where once was symmetry and beauty, cracks and chasms now pervaded. As if the whole area had been uprooted. Clouds had started to roll in over the city, darkening the ruined capital, coloring the entire area in a dismal gray. As Korra desperately looked around, she could see a silhouette holding another tightly. 

“Su!"

The elegant leader of Zaofu, famed for her implacable persona and constant smile, was barely able to hold back her sobbing as she held one her children in her arms. Haun, only a couple years Korra's junior, the artist of the family. His leg was horribly manged, his body littered with shrapnel. Su herself hadn't faired that much better, with droplets of blood splash down on Haun's cheek from a severe cut just above her eyebrow. She slowly turned to see the Avatar, the light drained from her eyes. 

"Korra...I..." her voice hoarse. 

"Hang on, I've got you!" Korra said, quick to summon water from one of the nearby broken fountains, utilizing it’s healing properties as she laced the pair of them with it. The bruised and bloodied flesh slowly stitching itself back together, but the damage was extensive. “What happened here?" she questioned, glancing up to meet Su’s tearful gaze.

Haun groaned beneath them, no longer at the edge of the abyss, but sill unconscious. Su looked understandably distraught, her hands shaking as she held her child, her eyes dull with a far-away expression. Her own wound fading into what would become the palest of scars. “I didn't know what it was,” her voice trembled just as badly as her hands. “That was why I called Lin. We kept it under lock and key, only certain personnel were allowed in. Every precaution was being taken! Then that...that...thing appeared.”

Korra paused. “What thing? What did you find, Su?” 

“We were just trying to study it. I...didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean..." her voice croaked as she buried her face in Haun's chest, unable to stifle her cries. 

It was a new and bitter sight to take in. Korra's hand slowly reaching along Su's shoulder and gently held it. Never before seeing her brought so low. “Su, have you seen Lin? Did she come this way?"

A crash of metal. The tearing of flesh. A deep howl right from the depths. Both women turned their heads up just in time to see a bloodied and beaten body come flying towards them, down the stairs from Su's home, crumbling to the ground just off to their right. 

“Lin!" Korra cried out, scrambling to her feet and rushing over to her side. Their armor was shattered, her arm twisted in a way that bordered unnaturally, her armour stained a rusty red from her injuries. Sprinkled within the blood, bouncing around like boats on the ocean, were shards of gravel.

Lin raised her working arm up. "Stay back!" she struggled to speak, gargling her words.

Before any of them could make another move, a flash of yellow met their eyes, mere seconds before the ground erupted beneath them; spikes hurtling towards the small party, cleaving through everything in its path. Dust and metal shavings rose up like petals in a violent wind.

As their vision returned, the Beifong sisters beheld Korra before them. She had dropped to one knee, arms thrown out as wide as possible, having used her palms to form makeshift shields around of the surrounding metal structures, swallowing the sharpened pillars of stone before they could strike. For the most part, Lin, Su and Huan were left unscathed. Korra, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The spikes had grazed her in numerous places, one in particular having gotten dangerously close to her eye. She ignored the warm sticky trails that traced along her face. 

A few yards away, in the shadows, another bone-chilling scream cried out from the desolated manor, before it finally took shape and emerged into the graying light of day. It was human, but not. A sickening blend of skin and rock, split in two like a half-finished painting, divided by the thinnest of lines. Its mouth hung open, it's expression that of perpetual anguish. Its resemblance was that of a young woman. Blonde hair coated with dirt. It's attire strange and otherworldly. All of which was held together with a rusted emblem etched into its breastplate. It was impossible to scavenge any further detail...save for the shard that had taken root in her sternum. 

Korra rose to a standing position. Fists raised. Knuckles white. Her gaze met by the creature's own sickly yet radiant yellow eyes. 

“What is that?!” Adora said. 

Raven's breath shuddered. "That's impossible."

Korra wiped blood from her face. There was a ringing in her ears,  though it was hard to tell whether it was from the screaming that emanated from the creature, or from the overwhelming vibrations of the shard. “This is your only warning.” she she growled. “On your knees or I will bury you.” 

The creature merely tilted its head to the side, a sickening crackling noise ringing out. A melody composed of the snapping of bone and the crumbling of stone. 

Korra gritted her teeth. “Have it your way!"

She lashed out, slamming her palms into the broken earth below. There was a rippling along the steel floor, like rain against the surface of a pond, until they converged on the creature, erupting in what can only be described as petals, each one folding and engulfing its target until it was tucked tightly away in a giant metallic rose. A smirk is on Korra’s lips, her hands now tightly clasped together, holding the budded creation in place, the edges of its leaves as sharp as blades, each pressed against the creature's neck

Her smiled faded the moment the color of the creature's eyes darkened from putrid yellow to a soulless black. The gaze was wide, unblinking. Inhuman. Two words fell from the creature’s lips, her voice sounding like the tumbling of boulders down a mountain. 

“Kill...you."

The metal bindings shattered; Korra’s arms being flung outward as a result of her bending being blown apart. The creature threw up its own hands, each coated in a faint glow. In a twisted echo of bending, the shattered metal rose reformed itself into a singular spike. One that was launched directly at Korra at a dizzying speed, spiralling around, twisted the air around it. Certain death if met unchallenged. 

Daring to take a second to look behind her, Korra saw the Beifongs, still wounded, were very much in the line of fire. No choice. With a wordless battle cry, Korra unleashed the Avatar State, eyes glowing a brilliant white. Throwing her fist out, Korra meets the tip of the spear, metalbending to such a ferocious degree that the projectile began to liquidise; seeping and spluttering before her. Though that didn't stop the rotational force from squashing down on her like a waterfall, the earth around her feet breaking apart like leaves in wind. Throughout the pressure mounting, Korra continued to press her fist deeper and deeper, until she had torn through it from snout to rear. It's remains scattering in heated puddles all around them. 

She was left gasping, glancing down at her bloodied hand. Her whole arm rattling from the prolonged impact. Grasping it tightly to still herself, Korra met the unblinking gaze of her foe. Unmoved. Undaunted. 

“What...are you?” 

“That's not possible. It can't be her.”  For once, Raven's voice was timid, fraught with disbelief . 

“Wait, you know this thing!?” Korra practically shouted.

There was another pause from Raven, though it was clear that this was one of grief. "She...was one of us. A Teen Titan. One of our most trusted allies, and one of our greatest enemies.” Raven explained. “I watched her die.” 

The creature began to descend the stairs. Steel and stone shaking in her very presence. 

“Terra.”

Chapter Text

The silence was drowning, filling up Korra’s mind. The impact of that last attack devastating her down to the bone.

As the gravel, dust and shards of metal settled all around them, Su's household and servants, almost none of them uninjured, limped and clawed their way out of the wreckage and across what had now become a battlefield. Many were bleeding, many others were cradling broken limbs, some others were lying amidst the rubble, contorted. All of them wore similar masks of terror. 

Another hollow breath, and Korra somehow found the strength to stand, clutching her bloodied hand, staring dead center at the monstrous being that was in front of her. An unholy mix of maiden and stone, something born of a madman’s nightmare. 

Raven’s words echoed in her mind. 

“Terra?”

The woman, rock, thing, reacted instantly. Her expression twisted. Eyes once again reverting back to their previous sickly yellow state. She raised up her stone hand, and clenched it into a fist with a noise that sounded like boulders grinding. Broken bits of housing, stone and steel alike, began to levitate, fusing together, forming crude projectiles with the barest resemblance of an arrow shape. 

An echo of pain caused Korra to turn to see Lin and the other Beifongs were still right behind her. Injured, and unable to move in a hurry. Easy targets. Easy prey. In a flush of panic, Korra fell back on her old habit; she rushed forward, clearing the steps two at a time. She had to get close, close the distance, get her hand on that creature’s neck and - 

“Korra, don’t!” Lin’s voice chased her as she ran, laced with pain. “Don’t try to fight her head on!”

Korra had barely taken another step when the projectiles immediately flew towards her as if fired from cannons. There had been no stances taken, no gestures, nothing to indicate their conjuring. It was simply Terra’s will. 

The Avatar reacted quickly, battle instincts taking over as she concentrated, trying to split her thinking in two as she concentrated earthbending in one hand and metalbending in the other. The projectiles were a raging blizzard around her. Her hands moved in a blur, this time not trying to merely absorb or outlast the hits, but instead just deflecting them aside. As the growing red across her body indicated, it was impossible to brush away all of them. And still, she persisted. Step after step, Korra fought her way up, her breaths ragged and filled with bits of fine sand, until she abruptly found herself standing before Terra.

“I’ve had just about enough of you!” 

Korra opened her mouth, and a river of flame burst forth, washing over the amalgamation of rock and flesh until surrounding she was all but consumed in a cocoon of swirling fire, continually developing the beast at its ever-burning heart. 

Adora watched the scene unfold, awe and confusion playing in equal measure over her face as she peered into one of the mirrors before her. What usually held Korra’s figure now seemed to be showing her what she was now seeing and doing, through the Avatar's own eyes. Such a destructive display of the elements, one that put her fellow Princesses to shame. She then turned her eyes to the other mirror, which still beheld the figure of Raven. Her expression was filled with shock still, so unlike the calm and stoic expression the ashen-skinned woman seemed to project to the outside world.

“What’s going on?” Adora asked. “You know this…thing?”

Raven’s cast her wary gaze over. “Terra. She…she can’t be alive. I watched her die.” 

There were images that swiped before Adora’s eyes, bleeding through the connection that their minds shared, Raven's mirror shimmering with another hazy image. She spied a woman that seemed to be made completely of stone.

“She and I were part of the same team. She was…a friend. But she almost tore us apart.” 

The mirror replied again, images flickering through as Raven spoke, time only to form impressions before they were gone as the sorceress shuffled through those long, painful memories.

Adora witnessed a pretty young woman with blond hair, a little like herself, only this girl was far more willowy, almost fragile, with timid blue eyes. Yet in the next blink, those same eyes were glowing yellow in fury, mountains quaking under her will as her powers were unleashed. She saw Raven seemingly drowning in mud, others she didn’t recognize being crushed by rocks, buried by them.  

“Her atonement for her betrayal was death, by her own hands. She sacrificed herself to save us.” 

The girl appeared again through the mirror’s glaze, this time diverting an ocean of lava, before she was suddenly sundered in stone, left as a husk of herself. A statue. A final, terrible sight before the mirror cleaned itself, leaving Raven’s image clear and unmarred once more. 

The images and words spilled like water into the back of Korra’s mind, though she remained focused on the task before her - bathing the beast as much flame as she could conjure. The stop steps surrounding them already charred white from the intense heat. Then the gaps began to appear, piercing through the veil of flame. Further and further, until the fire all but faded. Before Korra's eyes was Terra, encased in a protective coating of rock and metal, folding and caressing each other like a cocoon, it's every growing density causing the flames to be pushed aside. Before Korra could even get her bearings, there was another flash of sickly yellow, and she was greeted by a large, pillar of earth rising up, smashing into her sternum and once again sending her flying. She sailed down, flailing to catch herself with airbending, only partially successful as she landed at the base of the stairs in a heap. Her bones mercifully spared from breaking, though it did little to alleviate the pain. “For a dead woman, she hits pretty hard,” Korra grunted as she scrambled to her feet, never once taking her eyes off of her new foe. 

Terra opened her mouth and another terrible shriek pierced through the air. A haunting and inhumane quality to it as she began to descend the steps, still screaming. Every motion of hers caused the steps to crack and dissolve, from stone to sand.  

Korra turned to Lin and Su. “You both need to get out of here,” she said. “I’ll handle this.”

Lin let out a snort. “You’re in worse shape than me. There’s no way I’m leaving.”

Her stubbornness was to be expected, and in any other circumstance Korra would have called her a liar and an idiot. While was bleeding from a dozen places, she was still able to bend, whereas Lin had a broken arm and looked like she was close top passing out. “I can’t go all out while worrying about the two of you. Zaofu and its citizens need saving, let me handle her. The two of you help evacuate civilians and get to safety!”

Lin was not pleased nor convinced. It was only with her sister insistently tugging on her one good arm that she finally relented. “Fine,” she grumbled. “But if you die on me, I'm going to drag your ghost out of the Spirit World, ponytail first!"

The two of them began to sluggishly retreat, leaving the Avatar alone with her quarry. No sooner had they left than Korra whirled her head back around to Terra, who had continued to descend the steps, a trail of melted stone behind her. Zaofu’s once intricate architecture now but an ode to ruin. 

“Raven,” Korra spoke out, watching the creature approach warily. “I don’t know what Terra meant to you, but I need you to back me up here. Details. Attack patterns, anything I can use!”

There was a pause, before an aggravated sigh echoed out. She could practically see the sorceress slump her shoulders. 

“Terra uses geokinesis.” Raven said, “she can manipulate earth in every way imaginable.”

“Yeah, I kind of noticed! So she’s basically like an Earthbender.”

“No, she’s much more than that.”

The moment Terra’s foot finally touched the ground upon leaving the steps, the earth erupted around her.

Korra’s eyes widened as several tendrils of coiling metal rose up, pulled from out of the earth like weeds. Like starved snakes, they darted forward. In turn, Korra wasted no time in bringing forth a thick wall of rock to shield her. The tendrils recoiled against the surface of it, breaking, moaning like bells. Only for them to reform and merge together, forming two larger, thicker bladed worms which ploughed directly through the rock wall, shattering it to pieces before twisting towards the Avatar.

Korra, however, was already one step ahead. Hands extended, stance firm, even as the razor edges of Terra's creations chewed into into her palms - only for them to violently react, sparks spilling between them. Korra’s fingers dug into the tendril's flanks, their shapes contorting to her will. No matter how much they wrangled and flailed, they could not cut into her flesh - like her hands had become steel themselves.  

“I was taught...by the mother of metalbending…you can’t beat me…with tricks like this!”

The tendrils writhed and shuddered before her, like two wild animals caught in a trap, before Korra forced them to dissolve, demanding the rigid metal to loosen into a liquid state before she reshaped it to her desire, merging the metal into one large, bladed disk. One she then sent flying at Terra - who in turn, did not look phased, nor did she even attempt to move out of the way. Instead, she reached out with a stone hand and simply caught it. A waterfall of sparks flew from her stone skin as the metal blade still spun, trying to tear through her shell, but to no avail. Soon, it shattered, cluttering to the ground like broken glass. 

“She’s tough,” Korra said. 

“Terra could never control metal like this before,” Raven’s voice spoke in her mind, a flavour of unease creeping through. “This is far beyond what I saw her capable of doing.”

“Perhaps it’s the shard?” Adora interjected. “I saw one turn an ordinary horse into a crazed, mockery of an alicorn. Maybe it can also bring back the dead and turn it into...this.”

Korra dusted the metal shavings from her hands. “Dead. Alive. Whatever she is, I can’t let her hurt anyone else!” She assumed a fighting stance once again. Just in time to witness the sickly yellow light to once again filled Terra's eye sockets.

The ground heaved and shook, nearly throwing Korra off-balance. It was then she noticed huge section of the Beifong estate had torn itself free, leaving behind a gaping wound in the earth. The force of the removal nearly sent her sprawling, the only means of keeping her steady was to earthbend her feet to the ground itself. Of course, nothing could stop her eyes practically falling out as she witnessed the sight before her. A boulder forged of stone and metal of an unbelievable size, a feat that Korra could only hope to emulate whilst fully imbued with the Avatar State, and yet Terra was able to accomplish it without breaking a sweat. 

“That doesn’t look good,” Adora said. 

A second rumbling, titanic in scope, as another fragment of Zaofu, this one as wide as the Cabbage Café, tore itself free and began floating with its brethren. More and more gathered, until there so many they were starting to block out the sun, their vast shadows coating the estate. All hovering in place, all waiting on Terra's command.

“Korra, you can’t just keep taking whatever Terra throws at you,” Raven spoke up, an echo. "You have to retreat for now, not even you can block so much all at once!"

“I’m not going anywhere,” Korra replied, her voice firm. “Raven, tell me, how good was Terra at close combat?”

At the mention of her name, the hybrid of stone and flesh flung both arms down, bringing the great boulders down upon Korra with the deceptive slowness. Her teeth gritting against each other, those same putrid yellow eyes unblinking, forcing the sky to fall towards her target. 

“She was...subpar, to put it mildly," Raven replied. 

Again the image of a rail-thin adolescent flashed in her mind, one that would likely be snapped in half should she have stepped into a pro-bending match. Korra smirked. “Then that means I just need to switch things up.”

The shadow of a large boulder came over her, racing toward her with the finality of a hammer about to crash upon an anvil, and Korra rocketed forward to meet it, blasting herself up with the help of airbending, landing on it's surface. From there, she ran - to stall or linger meant a brutal end. Another rock descended before her. Even with her increased momentum, Korra didn’t entirely trust her speed to carry her safely past its girth. So instead, she bunched her legs, and leapt. Ignoring the stabs of fear in her gut, Korra launched herself high enough on another rock, pockets of air constantly pulsing out from her hands and feet in quick intervals. She repeated  the action ad nauseum, from once hazardous platform to the other. Eventually, she spied Terra, standing in the midst of the storm of rock and rubble. She was close. Another jump. Another leap of faith, and Korra would be upon her. 

Only for Terra’s head to snap back, almost inhumanly. Unblinking and unperturbed, she brought her hands together above her, in a perfect arch. It was only then that Korra became aware of one of the boulders changing its course, hurtling towards her.

Chapter Text

A second boulder was rushing right toward Korra. Its shadow covered her body, the size enough to crush her body to nothing. The sudden change of its trajectory made it crumble and break away in places, but it barely affected the boulder’s size.

“Get out of there Korra!” Adora yelled.

The boulder was moments away from crashing into her. Death was certain. Only for a bright light to fill the space. the white glow of the Avatar State swallowed Korra’s eyes. Throwing her hands up, a large burst of air came rushing forth. It was immeasurable, the great gust of wind from her air bending colliding with the solid surface of the boulder, whose progression was effectively slowed, its surface crumbling and falling further due to the force of air pushing against its surface.

An angered roar rose from Terra’s throat as she struggled to continue the boulder’s momentum. With both sides pushing with all their might, the mass of rock was suspended mid-air wavering. It was a stalemate. Seconds seemed like minutes as it floated back and forth in the air. Another noise rose from Terra, a terrible shriek that rattled the ruined earth they stood upon. Bright yellow energy burst forth, but rather than another attack, her influence upon the boulder and surrounding rocks disappeared as she failed to keep up with the Avatar.

The boulder along with all the other pieces of debris she had controlled crashed upon the ground. The earth rumbled from the impact, the tremors and sound of the destruction echoing all throughout Zaofu. Every single boulder shattered into giant, human-sized pieces and was sent flying in every direction. A blizzard of deadly, natural shrapnel exploded toward Korra. With it came a sea of dust and dirt that formed a hazy cloud that covered the battlefield. Korra was seemingly swallowed by the aftermath, her form obscured from the amount of debris that had swallowed her.

Standing clear from the blowback, Terra’s unnatural eyes looked over her handwork. There seemed to be a smirk on her twisted features as there was no further movement from within. The fight was won. Huffing in satisfaction, she turned to continue her destruction elsewhere.

A shadow crossed her eyes from above, and she looked up to see a glowing form hovering in the sky. No sooner had she looked up, Korra dove and speeded towards her. Giant flames burst at her fists. She used them to accelerate her speed, causing her to become just a flash as she speeded towards her target.

“Got you!” Korra roared.

Terra, however, reacted quickly. Eyes bright and sickly yellow, she summoned a shield of earth over her to block the attack at the last moment. It was too late. Pulling her fist back seconds before impact, Korra slammed her knuckles down on the casing. Fire burst between the quickly drawn-up links in Terra’s shield, causing the earth to explode away as it was broken. Taken aback by the force, Terra staggered backward. It was enough of an opportunity for Korra to continue the offensive. She lunged and took Terra by both wrists to hold the woman firmly in place. For a brief moment, they stared at each other. The white glow in Korra’s eyes faded as the Avatar State left her.

“So…” she huffed, “you’re Terra. Got to admit, not the best first impression.”

Terra’s face contorted at the utterance of her name. Features already twisted in perpetual agony twisted further. A violent shriek tore from her, and she lashed out at Korra, eyes glowing in an effort to summon more earth.

Korra felt the earth shift under her feet, and she dodged in time to narrowly avoid being impaled by the small spike of earth that jutted from the ground. But she didn’t falter. Instead, she pulled back her fist, and lunged. Pieces of rock flew from the stone side of Terra’s face as Korra’s punch hit its mark.

However, it did little to stun her opponent. Another spike rose from the earth as Korra aimed to land another punch to the gut. This time, Korra destroyed it with her own earth bending and they were broken into tiny fragments. They were directed back towards their maker, and Korra rushed in behind the spray, using Terra’s occupation with deflecting the needle-like pieces to land blows on her abdomen.

Terra gathered up scattered debris to continue battering Korra with it, which she would deflect or send right back while applying pressure with a mixture of earth bending and her fistd. The fight had turned into one of close quarters, with Korra keeping up the offensive and Terra defending herself viciously against the onslaught of blows.

Adora and Raven watched their movements closely. Adora inched forward closer to the mirror as the fight progressed.

“You’ve got her in a deadlock!” She said. “You just gotta keep applying pressure! It’s just like how the Horde fights. They keep up on the offensive until their opponent tires out.”

“I don’t know about your ‘Horde,’ but Terra’s no ordinary opponent,” Raven interjected. “Terra isn’t slowing down. She’s not even showing a hint of fatigue.”

More spikes erupted from the ground aimed right at Korra, with the Avatar destroying them with ease, before diving back into the fray, her fists landing punch after punch on Terra’s body. Though jostled by the force of the multiple impacts on her body, Terra seemed to be rolling with the punches. After every hit, she was responding adeptly, her reaction speed never wavering.

“You’re gonna tire out at this rate,” Raven warned. “If you slip up, one good shot is all it takes to skewer you.”

Adora’s eyes tore from the dogfight. “Then we need to find a way to finish off Terra before Korra gets herself killed!”

“How? We can’t do anything from here. Moral support is not going to do anything against something that can control the earth without faltering. What she needs to do is retreat.”

Adora fell silent. Her eyes returned to the battle. Korra was keeping up, but she could see that there would be a time where the exhaustion would catch up to her.

An idea sprung into her mind.

“Then let’s find out.”

Raven looked over at her with a frown. “What?”

“Find out whether that thing really is Terra or just wearing her face.”

“How is that-”

“You were her friend at one point, right? You know how she thought. What she loved and…what she hated?”

“What are you getting at?” Raven asked suspiciously.

“Maybe her powers have expanded because of the shard, but that doesn’t mean her mental fortitude has,” Adora explained. “If anything, given what we’ve seen so far, it’s likely to be the reverse. What would get under her skin? Trip her up?

“Your plan is to aggravate her even more?” Raven scoffed.

“My plan is to give Korra an edge before she gets herself killed!”

Raven stared at Adora for a moment, her expression blank, then turned back to the battle playing out before them. Korra was indeed getting tired. Though she tried to hide it, she could see the fatigue in her gaze.

Terra launched yet another attack, a spear-shaped piece of rock aimed directly at her head, which she barely missed. Crimson blossomed on her shoulder from where it had sliced her skin.

“Okay. Let’s give it a shot.”

Once more, Korra nailed Terra in the face with a solid punch. Her fist pressed against her face in an attempt to keep her down, but Terra continued pushing herself back up. The sickly yellow glow returned to her gaze, and her hand raised once more to launch another attack. Korra pulled her fist back and moved her hands, performing her own feat of earth bending in return. The earth between them erupted violently. From both sides erupted a wall of earthen spikes intending to impale both Korra and Terra, which in turn forced the two fighters back and away from each other. Korra paused, her chest heaving.

“Korra, listen up. We’ve got an idea on how to trip Terra up,” Raven’s voice sounded in her head.

“I’ll take anything you got right now,” Korra huffed. “I’m running on fumes at this point.”

Terra was already standing straight, her arms reaching up toward the sky. The earth rumbled once more, agonizing as a giant spike of metal was summoned. It rose into the sky, its metallic body dotted with smaller spikes, casting a shadow over the entirety of the battlefield. Her deadliest feat to date.

“You’ll have to trust me and do exactly as I say.”

Instruction flowed forth, Korra’s brows knitting together in confusion at the words, but soon brushed it off to nod in acknowledgment. Lifting her head, her eyes focus on Terra, a renewed light of determination in her gaze.

“Hey, Terra!” She yelled, loud enough to be heard. “Raven talked about you quite a bit. You were part of a supergroup? They were…ah, what was their name again? Oh yeah! The Teen Titans?”

Terra’s face of perpetual anguish shifted, her expression hinting at something of recognition.

“Sounds like a fun group of people,” Korra continued. “Too bad you betrayed them.”

Terra’s eyes flashed. Above them, the metal spike began to crack slightly.

“The way I heard it, you broke their trust. You broke their hearts. Why? Because you were insecure? Held so little belief in yourself that it drove you into the arms of a manipulative madman? That’s so… pathetic.”

The spike cracked more, the fissures growing throughout its body coinciding with the twisted combination of hatred and despair on Terra’s face.

Adora’s bottom lip was pulled in between her teeth as she looked at the scene. The sting of familiarity reaching her. Raven did not make a single sound. Korra eyed the spike, but she continued.

“So tell me, Terra, was it worth it? Was it worth throwing everything away? To be hated by everyone who ever cared for you?”

Another crack.

“Or did you secretly enjoy it? Being Slade’s puppet?”

In an instant, the spike shattered. An inhuman, animalistic howl filled with anguish ripped from Terra’s throat. The ground erupted as she unleashed a torrent of spikes from the ground. They surfaced haphazardly, colliding with one another, crisscrossing with no direction or control.

 Korra propelled herself above the attack with her airbending as Terra mindlessly lashed out.

“You definitely got under her skin,” Adora commented.

“Yeah, but now she’s erratic.”

One mangled hand gripped Terra’s head as she continued trying to blast Korra with whatever she could summon. Earth and metal were shot toward her at random. Some barely miss hitting her, while others spray out in odd directions. Some dissipated or turned into mud before they could land anywhere.

“Now I can finish this.”

A white glow enveloped her eyes once more as the Avatar State again came into being. No sooner had it activated, Korra charged forward. Terra’s attacks failed to reach her as often, with Korra utilizing fire and air jointly to skirt her way around the projectiles.

Terra lifted her hands. A giant wall of earth rose up swiftly, almost desperately. But it didn’t last long. Korra flexed her muscles, and the wall was blown apart with a simple burst of earth bending.

The distance between them had closed and provided Korra with the opportunity she had needed. Her hand lunged out and grasped at the shard lodged into Terra’s sternum. Her fingers wrapped around it, clutching the object tightly. Terra howled and tried to pull away, the expression on her face contorting into something that looked like pain. Korra continued to try to pull the shard free regardless of the woman’s struggle.

But it wasn’t enough, with Terra raising her hand. Metal coated her skin. Coating her fingers until they formed large claws. Fortified, her hand swung with the intent to kill. A hammer being brought upon an anvil.

The blow never came. A choking sound bubbled from Terra’s throat as her head was yanked backward, a metal white wrapped around Terra’s neck. Looking up, Korra spotted a wounded Lin using her one good arm to pull tightly on the wire and force Terra back. There was a mixture of pain and determination on the woman’s face.

“Finish it!” yelled Lin.

Wasting no time, Korra turned her attention back to the shard. Her teeth grit together as she gripped it tightly. With a single pull, using all of her strength, the shard was ripped free from Terra’s chest.

A staggering burst of light emerged, coating the trio. By the time that Korra had opened her eyes, the shard had faded in color until it returned to a simple piece of wood. Though that paled to the sight of the figure that now stood before her. Standing in Terra’s place was an unblemished visage of the person before she had become a creature of stone and malice. Youthful, pretty, unburdened.

“Terra?” Raven spoke.

Terra made no movement…before her lips shifted into a small smile. Immediately after, she faded into nothing, as if she were never there to begin with. All that was left was the desolation of the Beifong estate, and the groans of Lin as she struggled to sit up.

“Is it over?” She asked.

Korra looked at the shard in her hand. The strength in her body seemed to leave her all at once, and she collapsed to her knees. “I think it is.”

Adora let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension that had settled into her muscles leave at last. She turned to Raven. The ashen woman was still staring into the mirror. “Was that her? The real Terra?”

Raven raised her hood. “The Terra I know died after saving the Titans from her own mistake,” she responded. “I can’t say if what Korra fought was really her but…it had her smile.”

Adora grinned. “Maybe that’s reason enough.”

Raven shrugged. “Maybe. But for now, we’ve got work to do.”

Chapter Text

The glittering lights of the city painted a beautiful picture blow as Raven flew through the sky. Her thoughts were swirling with everything that happened recently – contemplating what should be done now that their worlds were on the verge of ending. It was a spiral she didn’t want to go down and gave herself a mental shake, bringing her mind back to the matter at hand; gathering the shards of the Tree of Time.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” a somewhat hesitant voice asked. Raven had become accustomed to this recent development, not startling at the sudden question. In one of the mirrors, Adora supported a light frown, she likely be pacing up a storm if she wasn’t sitting right now.

“Korra?”

Adora gave a single nod. In what little time they had come to know each other, Raven had figured the Etherian to have all the symptoms of a classic worrywart, “She’ll be fine," she added dryly, “All those muscles have to count for something.”

A chuckle managed to slip through Adora's lips on hearing that. The fog in the mirror world receding and gathering together before parting a little. It was enough for her to get a glimpse of what was happening in Korra's world. The Avatar was sitting with her brows furrowed as two women fussed over her, one more than a little angry while the other was consumed with worry as they patched her injuries. Korra looked like she wanted to protest, but was quickly held down. Like a child being fussed over by their ever-present and ever-concerned aunts. 

Still, she was alive. Which brought Adora onto the question that had been hiding under the shadow of her tongue.

“Terra...she...was dead, right?” She began. “Does that mean the Tree of Time can pluck someone from any point in their life?"

"Good question," Raven replied. "And one I don't have an answer for. What Korra fought felt like...an echo. A replica of the dead. It wore Terra's face but the rest..." the sorceress shuddered at the memory. "Whether they're real or not, even a single shard can summon something that powerful, then we need to get the shards back without further delay."

“This is just so…messed up,” Adora voiced out her frustrations. “I didn’t know magic – if this is magic – could be so terrible.” Memories of Glimmer popping up at the back of her mind. 

“Magic is neither good nor evil,” Raven’s added “It’s only in the hands of mortals that it can become something terrible.”

Adora's half-hearted chuckle resonated in her throat. “You sound like someone I know.”

Her tone made Raven glance her way, but didn't pursue further. 

“Anyways,” Adora cleared her throat, stumbling a little with her words as she decided on what to say to fill up the stillness between them "You can fly. That’s pretty cool.”

Raven remained quiet. 

"I mean, I have to use Swiftie to get around but, you know he's a flying horse so, bit of a difference."

Silence. 

"So that whole thing about you being a demon...that was an exaggeration, right?" 

“No.”

Adora’s nervous chuckles became coughs. “Cool,” slipped through her lips.

The other rolled her eyes at her response but the slightest, miniscule upward curl to the corner of her lips betrayed her true feelings. Out of genuine curiosity, she asked, “You're not bothered by it?”

A grimace appeared on Adora’s face as she answered, “I've seen my share of magical and otherworldly things. A demon teammate doesn't sound too out of the ordinary.”

One sharp brow raised itself in intrigue. “Fair enough.”

“Well, I believe in giving people a chance. I mean, I used to fight for the Horde before I knew better. I was raised to be a soldier right from the start! Got promoted to Force Captain and everything!” A rueful smile followed.  “Even though later I found out the Horde was dead set on conquering Etheria. Which was let me to the sword and She-Ra and...now I'm here. ”

“It must’ve been hard to adapt to a new life,” Raven said.

"Yeah. Some parts were harder to let go of than most..."

"Such as?" 

Adora's hesitation bubbled over, before it spilled out like a confession. "Catra. I may have mentioned her before. We're...were...best friends. Grew up together and everything. But after everything that happened, she's still fighting for the Horde. And...fighting against me. I keep telling myself that maybe if I had tried to convince her harder… or if I brought her here with me, then things could’ve been different. She isn’t the same Catra as I once knew and...that's hard to accept. Even though I know I have to." 

Adora couldn’t see it herself but Raven clearly saw the anguished look on the other’s face as she went through her wheel of ‘what-ifs’. The image in the mirror changed before she could decide on what to say, and instead of seeing Adora passed its glassy frame, there were flashing images of a fight. A sword and a claw, scratch marks by the dozen, causing blood to well up from skin. There was the outline of a person, the one who was fighting Adora, before the silhouette came into view. A hybrid of woman and feline, hissing before pouncing on her prey. The image shifted further, Catra looking down, a hideous smirk on her lips, one of triumph and bitterness. Her words like razos. 

“Hey, Adora.”

The image reduce itself to nothingness as Adora slammed her hands on the mirror's exterior. Shifting from pool of memory to a window where she could clear see Raven's expression, as unreadable as it was. 

“I...sorry. I didn't mean for that to...” Adora began, only to be cut off.

“Enemy.”

The seemingly random world made Adora pause as she blinked in confusion before asking, “What?”

"That's the word you're looking for," Raven answered. "I’m unaware of your history together, but friends do not take joy in harming each other.”

The words made Adora go silent as her lips parted slightly, no words coming out. What Raven said…wasn’t incorrect.

Before any further musings on the nature of broken bonds could be discussed, Raven dove through the clouds, finally something other than gray entering her vision. In the dawn's first light, tall building was illuminated. The shape was peculiar, with the bottom being vertical and the top being a large part placed horizontally on it. Adora wondered if this was a normal architectural choice in Raven's world. "What's that?"

She could swear she saw the other’s face softening as she answered.

“Home.”

Raven’s figure phased through the exterior and it took only a few more steps before she arrived in the tower’s living room. Usually, the area would be littered with empty snack wrappers and game consoles placed haphazardly but now, everything looked clean and in place. It was almost unnerving. Her fingers lightly hovered above the couch in the center of the room, before heading over to the central computer; the machine came to life and her fingers flew over the custom keyboard.

Until now, Adora had been so quiet that Raven almost forgot about their connection. “What are you doing?”

Raven's fingers didn't pause as she continued looking at the information on the screen. "Korra's ability to sense the shards is not endless. It's not just her world we're searching. Combine yours and mine and it would take us an eternity to find the remaining fragments. Our best shot at locating them is by using this – the technology of my world – to try and scan the planet for any signs of dimensional activity." Talking till that point, her fingers suddenly paused as she glanced up. "Might as well let the other Titans know to be on the lookout,” she muttered to herself before continuing her actions once again.

"Titans? You mean your friends?" Adora grabbed onto the strand of information. 

“…Yes,” Raven admitted, offering nothing else. This didn’t deter Adora she continued her interrogation. 

“What are they like? How many are there?”

“Loud. Four.”

As she said this, the mirror flickered before fragments of memories started playing out images like an old film projector. A green-skinned boy along with a tall, bulky individual with a vast array of machinery pressed into his frame There was also another girl, one with crimson hair, perpetually smiling.. The last one was a boy with a stern face. Confidence and authority imposed into every word spoken. More scenes unfolded: the living room decorated and a large cake was placed in the middle, everyone was laughing, even Raven wearing a rare smile. Another memory, one of suffering, of tending to injuries, of facing unsurmountable odds and the penalty that came with it. 

It reminded Adora of the battles she fought with her friends by her side, the fleeting moments of peace where they gathered to talk and laugh. Recently, they seemed harder and harder to come by. 

"They seem like a fun bunch," Adora commented. 

Raven didn't say anything at first before her finger lightly scratched her chin as she let out a small, "Hm," of acknowledgment.

“Once I get back to Bright Moon, I’ll tell Bow and Glimmer about what’s going on. They need to know.”

As soon as she spoke, the mirror switched from showing Titans to the two in question. The memory on display was an old one, when the duo just became friends with Adora, arms around her shoulders. Smiles all around. 

“That's them?” Raven asked when she saw the mirror.

“Yep! That’s the Best Friend Squad," she grinned. 

“You actually call yourselves that?”

“Heck yeah, we do! It’s a time-honored tradition,” Adora stated proudly.  

“They seem…” Raven paused, “sparkly. Though the one with the arrows does look…rather capable.”

A pause.

“Wait, is that Raven-speak for cute?!”

“It is most certainly not!” Raven replied indignantly.

Adora laughed, perhaps a little too hard. “I’m just teasing! You’d be wasting your time anyway. He won’t admit it but…I think Bow has his heart on someone else.”

“Unlucky me,” Raven deadpanned. 

“Come on, there must be someone out there you like?” It seemed like Adora still hadn’t given up on the topic. “Anyone with a cape caught your eye?”

“If you value your ability to speak,” Raven looked at her through, "you’ll drop this topic of conversation.” 

“Aw, come on! There’s gotta be someone-”

Her words elicited no response from Raven but the mirror once again flickered to life and showed fragments of memories. It wasn't one of the Titans, but rather a slender individual with long white hair and the lower half of his face covered. He appeared quite handsome with his armored attire, eyes seemingly shining with mystical light. In the memory, he was standing close to Raven, their hands almost touching. His body shifting, from, images in a book to a man made of the pages themselves. The scene flickered, changing into one of him holding Raven close, speaking words of wisdom and comfort. Raven held a look on her face that Adora could recognize –

Wasn’t this the look of a person in love?

The memory changed once more. Now, instead of a man, there stood a towering dragon. Raven stood transfixed with a heartbroken expression, the monster howling with laughter, grasping at her, malicious intent in his eye. Not to comfort. To destroy. For what use did he need of his songbird now? Words echoed out, filled with venom and sarcasm, words that the sorceress to her core. 

“Sweet Raven”

A sickening crack, as parts of the living room's floor and furniture were sent flying, Raven's magic tearing into them for but a brief moment. Biting her lower, as if biting back the bile, the resentment. Her eyes diluted, no longer a tender amethyst but a grave magenta. It was a look that sent chills down to Adora's core, as she watched the sorceress slowly regain her composure. Her pain painted on her face. 

Adora was mortified. 

“I...I'm so sorry, Raven! I shouldn’t have pried! I-I didn’t know, I...” her voice trailed off, becoming inaudible.

Raven shook her head. “It was a while ago.” A pause. “Matters concerning the heart no longer capture my interest.”

This did little to comfort Adora, arms around her chest, fingers digging into her arms, mentally chastising herself. 

“...You’re too good for him anyway. With the way he looked, I bet he smelled terrible. I mean – a giant lizard? Bleugh.”

The words summoned a smile from Raven. “Well, I did seal him inside a book afterwards.”

“Serves him right! Hope he spends the next hundred years getting papercuts where the sun don't shine!”. The joint laughter was soothing, balm on the heart. “Once the tree is whole again, we can go back in time and beat the spells out of him! Teach him some manners," Adora stated, preemptively cracking her knuckles. 

Raven gave her a fleeting glance. “I’m not sure if that’s how the Tree of Time works.”

“Oh, come on!” Adora looked like she would’ve bumped shoulders with her had Raven been standing next to her. “Let yourself dream a little!”

Once again, chuckles met her words and Adora continued describing ways in which they could beat the living daylights out of the dragon.. She was in the middle of describing a particularly slow beating which involved chains and poking sticks. 

And the felt it. 

In the tower, an immense pressure gathering from all sides, enough to suffocate. But one not unfamiliar.

“This is…” Raven wanted to ask what it was but the pressure increased and she could only grit her teeth.

“It’s drawing closer,” Adora commented, her voice tense.

Raven whirled around, only to see a shard from the Tree of Time was glowing...in the palm of a stranger. Their face covered by a mask. Shadows swirled around them. Long robes concealing their appearance, save for their hands, ones darkened and damaged.

“Travelling back through time, how fascinating,” the masked individual spoke, a woman's voice. With her gaze fixed on the shard, she continue. “What a priceless discovery you have made, my dear Adora.” 

Raven brought her hands, dark magics surrounding them. Confusion giving way to a combat stance. Though, she was somewhat stifled when she heard Adora's echo out, filled with familiar horror. 

“Shadow Weaver?!”

Chapter Text

The room had fallen under the spell of deadly silence. Not a peep from either the cloaked sorceress nor the girl in the mirror, as the gazed upon their unexpected guest. 

The masked woman, Shadow Weaver, while unreadable in her expression, was fully fixed on the shard between her fingers, caressing its edges and musing on it with absolute captivation.  

“Fascinating,” she commented with a reverent tone. “Such a small thing, and yet the depth of its magic, the unstable nature of its mystical aura; I have never seen it’s like.” Her fingers danced upon one of its faces, the bark emitting an unholy glow with every touch. “And to think, it could very well be the key to unlock the mysteries of time and all of its threads. Oh, how Hordak will be pleased.“ 

Her analysis and the following chuckle both cast a chill along Raven’s spine. 

“Who is she?” she asked with a whisper. 

Adora’s reply was glazed with just as much confusion as unease. 

"That's…Shadow Weaver." Raven didn't fail to notice the almost imperceptible wince. "She is – was a high-ranking member of the Horde and…my former teacher.”

The Horde. She had mentioned it before. A force. An army. A scourge upon Adora’s world. Bad news. Something they couldn’t afford. Honestly, Raven was getting rather tired of all the trouble these shards were bringing with them, especially when they were far beyond the tethers of her own reality. 

“She’s strong, then. Give me a weakness. A way to trip her up. Anything. Quickly.” 

Adora’s mouth opened, before her reply was blotted out like ink over paper 

“To speak of one’s betters behind their back,” Shadow Weaver’s gaze fell upon them, “is the very pinnacle of impoliteness.”  

Darkness coated the mirror before Adora’s eyes, making it impossible to see anything on the other side. A hefty black, staining the inside of the glass, so not even Adora’s own reflection was left visible. 

“Raven?” she called out, met only with a deafening quiet. “Raven? Can you hear me? What happened? Raven?!”

The cold floor of the living quarters was quick to meet Raven as she doubled over from the pain, gasping to reclaim lost breath as she felt her skull go to great lengths to split. The pain was crippling, but she forced herself past it while struggling to find her footing anew. 

“What…did you do?!” Raven demanded through gritted teeth. 

"Severing a connection of magical properties is well within the reach of the greatest spellcaster Etheria has ever known. Though I suppose that means very little to you, strange one. No matter." Shadow Weaver drawled while stepping closer, a towering figure drenched in maroon, the shard held tightly between her fingers. “I do not know how I was brought to this place, or your connection to my dear Adora, but any who stand in my way shall not live to see another sunrise.”

The pain in her head subsided for a moment, and a moment was all Raven needed. 

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” 

A blast of magic unleashed from her body. Untamed, dark, though the impact was more of a slap than a strike, but it was enough to push  Shadow Weaver back a fair few steps. Enough of a distance for Raven to reclaim her footing.

“I see,” Shadow Weaver mused, brushing down her attire. “So you too are one who dabbles in darkness. How interesting.” From underneath her feet stemmed a variety of shapes; tendrils and shadows one and all. Branching out and twisting before opening up. In the darkness came the hisses, eyes, teeth. Ravenous things lurking in the depths.  “It appears that we have much in common, child.” Shadow Weaver raised her hand out, a friendly gesture, though obscured by the monsters beneath her feet. “Therefore, I shall offer you this one kindness; serve me.” Her head tilted in a thoughtful expression. “It has been too long since I have had a capable apprentice in the mystic arts. Besides, it will be all the more difficult to compel Adora back to my side if I decimate her ally before her eyes. It would be wise for you to heed me.”

Raven didn’t fail to notice the purr in Shadow Weaver’s voice when she called out Adora’s name. A pet, lost now found. Her eyes glowed a bitter white in the depths of her hood. 

“Heed this.” 

A flurry of silent gestures, and power surged around the sorceress. From once there was nothing, now appeared a talon, coated phantasmatic energy, large enough to snatch a wild beast and crush it in its grasp. It came crashing down with nails bared. 

Shadow Weaver scoffed.

"How disappointingly…" her hand closed, “ predictable .” Instantly, the dark tendrils beneath her gave way. Beasts and abominations one and all, all lathered in darkness, rose up, lashing out as the weight of the giant talon met them head on. 

Both spells collided and the ensuing shockwave rang out, forcing both magic users back. With her teeth gritted, Raven brought her palms to the floor. The words flowing off her tongue before she even had a moment to contemplate the ache they felt from that last attack. 

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The furniture in the room, once again coated in darkness, began to fly around like angered hornets, before hurtling itself towards Shadow Weaver. 

“Quaint,” she mused before raising her arm and snapping her fingers. Before the Titans’ beloved couch could even touch her, it went up in flames. It wasn’t long before the blizzard of objects was reduced to smouldering wrecks, or simply shattered into splinters. Her own counterattack was swift. Another volley of shadowed tendrils beneath her feet, only this time they clawed out, materialising, like a krakens. On command, they lashed out, a flurry of whip-like arms aiming to tear out anything it could grasp.

“Boorish.” A click of her tongue and a murmur of a spell, and a mighty bird emerged from Raven’s own shadow, looming large. Any tendril that dared to venture too close soon found itself pecked to pieces or beaten down by the force of its mighty wingspan. The ruined vestiges of the conjured appendages soon staining the floor before returning to nothingness. 

“My, my. It seems you have some talent after all,” Shadow Weaver admitted. “A shame to pluck one with such potential.” 

“You won’t find my magic in whatever dusty tomes you’ve been perusing,” Raven countered, chest heaving lightly from the continuous back-and-forth. “It’s darker, older, more dangerous than you could possibly fathom, or ever hope to control.” 

“Such arrogance.” Shadow Weaver snarled. 

“The shadow cast by talent,” Raven stated before raising her hands, a fresh chant already forming on her lips. “And here I thought a teacher would be able to distinguish the two.”

“Then let us commence the lesson.” Shadow Weaver clapped both of her hands together, the aftermath not so much an echo of sound, but a gathering of blackened light. Building and building until it couldn’t be contained by the size of her palms any longer.

Raven had cast the shield around herself on instinct. Potent but hurriedly conjured. As a result, the needle-thin beam that had shot from between Shadow Weaver's hands was deflected at the last second, but the aftermath was very much a brutal one. Not only did the force of it send her flying back like a pinball, but it had also caused the attacking spell to split off into a myriad of directions, cutting through walls and all other surfaces. A symphony of slashes until much of the tower’s central interior had been lacerated. A stunning display of destruction, and Raven had no time to drink it in, not catch a second breath before Shadow Weaver was once again upon her. 

Dashing forward, arm outstretched, the masked caster’s body now layered in a frantic coat of crimson magic as she torpedoed into Raven’s shield. A creak, a crack, and the shell began to fall apart. 

Adora was starting to panic. No, scratch that, she was full-on panicking, and for all her unanswered calls and hammering of the blotted mirror with her fists, her only answer was further, infuriating stillness. She was alone in this nexus. An ethereal box she couldn’t break free from. 

“What can I do? What can I do?! Come on Adora! Think! This may be one big unknown but you fight the unknown every day!” she groaned to herself, tempted to ram her head through the mirror by this point, for all the good it would do her. 

Raven. She didn’t know her very well. Or Korra for that matter. Above all else, they were strangers from strange lands. The only reason they had been brought together was by the threat of interdimensional annihilation. The furthest thing from convenient given the conflict that was already carving up Etheria. A stranger. Nothing more than that

Adora slammed her palm into the mirror. The darkness ripple on her touch. A defiant look burning in her eyes. 

“Stranger or not, I’m not letting her die. I’m not letting anyone else die because of me!” 

In the depths of the dark she could see their faces. Angela. Glimmer. Bow. Even Catra. Allies and enemies, all of them. A deeper look and her own face appeared. Marred by worry, fuelled by grit. 

“Iroh said we are all connected…let’s see if that’s true.” 

Adora’s gaze was unwavering, both hands grappling at the unbroken dark of the corrupted mirror. Starring ever deeper. Her expression fixed, eyes fixated in the abyss that dutifully stared back. It wasn’t long that her own face muddied. The resemblance shifting. It was now Raven’s. Then Korra’s. Back to her own. It continued to shift until she couldn’t distinguish one for the other. Her head was killing her, but she remained unblinking. Immovable 

For the briefest of moments, her eyes glowed with the light of the Avatar State, and the darkness from the mirror vanished, splintering off like ashes until the crystalline sheen of its original splendour starred her back in the face. 

“I…I did it!” she cheered, words echoing. “I can’t believe that actually worked! I, well, we were able to…” Adora gazed upon her own reflection, no trace of otherworldliness to be found in her features. “This whole thing is crazy, Bow and Glimmer are never gonna believe this." Her soft smile, triggered by the memory of her friends, swiftly sank. “Oh no, Raven!” she called out, as loud as she could, into the depths of the mirror. “Raven, can you hear me? Are you okay?!”

Raven was, in fact, not okay. 

The ground trembled as she was slammed into seemingly every available surface. Shadow Weaver persistently lashing out like a shark drawn to blood, her hands lathered with crimson magic, sharp as any fang. Spiderweb cracks formed all over the shield’s dark surface as it began to splinter. With her head rattling, Raven raised her hand to summon some manner of counter spell, only for it to be ruthlessly extinguished when a fresh strike well and truly shattered the last of her defences.  

"You proclaim to have control over magic most ancient and terrible, yet are too feeble to cast them when backed into a corner. What a pathetic excuse for a sorceress," Shadow Weaver commented as she walked forward. By now, they had left the living room and reached the corridor just outside the Titans’ personal quarters. 

The door to one of the rooms had been shattered, Raven now laying inside, unmoving. As Shadow Weaver stepped inside, she spied various book shelves, gothic paintings and antiques, a lean dresser, as well as a collection of various knick-knacks perfectly aligned on a dresser. The room was saturated in an ambiance that was both ominous yet enticing. A most fanciful coffin.  

“I will admit, you managed to provide a moment’s distraction. But the truth remains unchanged child; my magic is beyond you. I am beyond you. A lesson you may take to your grave.”

Shadow Weaver raised her hand above the cloaked figure, once again coating in a most violent light, the magic solidifying into a crimson claw. Arm raised, poised to slash. Only to find itself caught in a deathly grip when several talons burst forth out of the darkness, holding her in place. 

Raven’s eyes glowed with a most unnatural shade as she rose up, levitating in place. More spectre their human, and though her voice was calm, the weight of her words was almost crushing. 

“This is my room,” Raven snarled as she brought both hands up. “ Nobody goes in my room!”

Darkness engulfed them both, leaving everything drowning in shadows. There was a tug on her hand and before Shadow Weaver knew it, Raven was phasing them through the roof, not stopping until they were both among the clouds. Titan’s Tower a mere dot beneath them. 

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” Raven chanted and two, giant talons were summoned, grasping hold of Shadow Weaver, locking her in place. Like prey. Unable to move, barely able to breathe, All Shadow Weave could do was look on as the sky suddenly became a distant sight as she was sent hurtling down to earth. More precisely, into, and through, the top of the tower. And that was hardly the end of it. Raven phased through the roof alongside her creations as Shadow Weaver was dragged through every single floor, concrete and furniture giving way with a thunderous crack. There was dust and debris everywhere, following them along until the journey finally ended when they reached the basement. A sickening crunch could be heard, a crater forming on the ground in the aftermath of the impact. Nearby, the vehicles glinted in the light, some of them shaking from the shockwave. 

Raven’s chest heaved, fighting to catch her breath, one hand reaching up to remove her hood and as her face was revealed, eyes returned to normal once again. Calming her breathing down a little, she looked around and saw the T-Car still in one piece, somehow avoiding all the debris altogether. 

Just as she was about to turn her gaze away, a piece of concrete came loose, smashing the vehicle to pieces. 

Raven’s expression was the definition of deadpan. 

“That’s…unfortunate.”

“…ven?... Raven!?” a voice sounded from afar, echoing out of the nothingness around her.

“Adora?”

“Rav – you can hear me? Oh thank goodness! Are you okay? What happened?” Adora directed question after question her way and Raven felt her eyes twitch on finally hearing her voice again. 

“I’m fine,” she answered, even if the tower wasn’t. 

“Where’s Shadow Weaver? Did she hurt you?”

A pained pause. “She packed quite a punch, but in the end, I won.”

Adora seemed to suck in a breath. "This just…doesn’t make sense." She trailed.

Raven offered a sigh before brushing off the dust and dirt from her cloak. "Magic isn't about strength. It's how it's utilised. A spell for every situation. I understand she was your teacher and likely your only example of the art. But -”

To her surprise, Adora cut her off.

"That's not what I meant! It makes no sense because Shadow Weaver…is on our side." Now Raven was confused and the other hurried to

Raven blinked. “What?”

"I mean, I don’t fully trust her but…she abandoned the Horde and joined the Princess Alliance, willingly! Ever since, she’s been a prisoner in Bright Moon. But this Shadow Weaver, the one you fought," Adora frowned as she recounted the sorceress’ actions and words. "She seems different. She fights for the Horde and her mask is uncracked. And given what you just went through, she seems to be stronger than her current state should allow. It’s almost as if she’s…”

Black flames burst forth from the crater, stopping Adora’s words in their tracks. Lapping at one another, forcing Raven back. Despite the searing heat, Shadow Weaver’s body rose up, ignoring the dark fire that lashed her, as well as the wounds she had sustained from the fall. 

“A past version of herself,” Raven concluded, gritting her teeth. The fight not yet done. 

Without hesitation, Raven summoned four walls of dark magic, all clamping down on Shadow Weaver, pressing into her body until there was nowhere for herself nor the flames to escape. All was quiet…until an explosion of light came from within the walls, shattering them with ease, the impact sending everything in the surroundings – including Raven – back. 

“I admit, I underestimated you child,” Shadow Weaver said, stepping into view. “Clearly you are far more than a spellcaster of mere passing skill. Given time you may have even been a threat to my position, but now, you don’t have a shadow of hope, for now, you face the magic of Etheria’s greatest sorcerer. Shadow Weaver…” 

Raven’s vision slowly returned, just in time for her to notice someone else stepping forward from the flames. An elegant figure, hovering above the earth. While one was adorned in darkness, she was coated in a brilliant light. Blinding. Unsettlingly radiant. It was a young woman with a pink-coloured veil covering half her face. Her dark hair contrasted the fairness of her skin, a pale figure in the darkness. 

“And Light Spinner.” 

Chapter Text

The black flames flickered and broke around the two silhouettes: one of light, and one of darkness. Magic crackling through the air with every breath, lacing through the heat over to where Raven stood, wide-eyed and shaking. She watched as as the recently materialized duo moved in perfect synchronicity, raising their hands to the sky at once.

The stranger, mentioned only by name, Light Spinner, ceaselessly radiant in her gleaming gilded robes, summoned a brilliant beam of light from within the clasp of her palms. Her eyes sharpened above her pink veil, her gaze as intense as it was judgmental. She spread her arms to unleash the raging ball of energy contained between her palms; a magic pure and fierce. The otherworldly shimmer that cascaded forth from her fingertips rolled off her in waves. Just looking at it made Raven’s eyes hurt and her focus waver.

Beside her, Shadow Weaver slinked forward with a sinister grace. Her magic was the antithesis of her luminous partner, a deep and ominous power summoned from her hands that seemed to suck the life out of everything in her way. Instead of being diminished by her injuries, her sorcery surged, rivalling her mirror self in intensity as the ball of darkness throbbed between her fingers. 

Raven's reaction was as dry as it was exhausted. 

“Oh, for Azar’s sake-!”

BOOM!

The explosion whipped across the city with such a force that every building in the vicinity trembled in their foundations, a collision of light and darkness that slammed through the night without mercy. The blinding flash was followed by a deafening crack of earth that rippled outward from the gaping crater smashed into the bedrock that held Titan’s Tower. Twin beams of magic, light and dark, punched through the air, surging out and across the ocean. They tore above the water, twining around each other and slicing through the ink of night like twin swords. For a moment, it almost looked beautiful. 

The ground trembled with the force of the beams for the longest moment, as if they could go on forever. The sea drew back as if holding its breath, waiting and waning until the bedrock erupted. A thousand shards of stone flew into the air as a colossal, shadowy visage of a raven exploded forth from the earth, canceling out both beams of magic. It spilled out the crater, wings blacker than night and beak open in a pained and powerful screech. Its eyes glowed with a fierce, threatened white as it absorbed the full force of light and dark, until all became still. 

The world went quiet.

“Raven!" Adora’s fingers whitened around the edges of the mirror as it shook with the force of whatever the hell that was, a blast of power so immense that even she could feel, bound as she was in their nebulous hive. “Are you okay? What’s going on? Talk to me!”

Her voice splintered, wavering in the scorching heat of the air. Adora sounded so distorted, so far away, flickering in the aftermath of the magic fading around Raven. Her heartbeat returned to her ears as she doubled over, panting for air. The battle had taken more than it should have out of her. Her ashen skin was littered with bruises, a dull pain throbbing through her entire person. She thumbed the singed edges of her blue cloak for strength, for it was taking everything in her not to topple over on the spot. The occasional drop of blood falling from her slim nose.

Not good. Not good at all. 

“I’m impressed.” The drawling voice bled into the air around her as she jumped back, whirling around to see Shadow Weaver manifesting in a veil of ghostly magic, shrouded by her recovering magic. “You continue to surprise me with your aptitude for sorcery.”

The breath shuddered out of Raven, her head heavy as she rose as fast as she could. 

“It’s a pity that your potential will never be fulfilled.” Another voice sounded behind her. She turned to face Light Spinner with disappointment etched into her face. Her eyes softened for a moment, as if to lull Raven into a sense of false security. Save for the fact that her voice was practically identical to the masked madwoman. “There is one last lesson we have to impart upon you before we’re through." Her eyes filled with a terrifying light. “Those who challenge both the light and the dark...”

Raven drew back just in time to see Light Spinner and Shadow Weaver raise their hands in tandem, the former's parting to reveal a familiar glint. The shard of the Tree of Time, hissing with magic most ancient as it glittered with the force of a thousand stars, more radiant than the brightest white. Whereas Shadow Weaver’s grasp echoed a deepest black, with the call of the void. Two sides of the same coin. Sorceries of a most devastating persuasion. 

“...shall only know despair.”

Raven could hardly breathe before a volley of shimmering projectiles and black flames veered toward her with a vengeance. She sidestepped the searing, slender beams of light that cut past her like knives, lancing through the night - wincing when one sliced her cheekbone open. Not a moment later, Shadow Weaver released an inferno of ghostly flames in one go. Raven leaped into the air as his cloak was further singed, soaring past another barrage of blinding rays as she barely cleared the impenetrable wall of dark fire. The edges singed the battleground with a hellish red, the heat so unbearable that her ashen skin came away red. More cuts and welts raised along the exposed columns of her legs, pain zipping up her core as she picked up speed. Shadow Weaver and Light Spinner were just a few arms’ length away, their menacing expressions emblazoned into her mind as she struggled to cling onto consciousness. It would be so easy to collapse now. But she wouldn’t. Not until she had the shards in her possession.

“Gah!” Raven stumbled as the army of incoming spells only grew denser and denser. She raised her hands instinctively to cast a force field. “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”

Darkness spewed out and circled her in a ring of shadow, single-handedly keeping the enemy spells at bay as light and flame rocked the temporary wall. Raven didn’t know how much longer she could hold it. Her body was so battered that she could feel her eyes slipping shut, the weight of a dozen magical projectiles bearing down on her until she could hardly stand. Even the ground beneath her feet began to crack and quake.  The combined forces of opposing magic was so thick that it felt like she was choking on it. 

Raven spat out thought of falling, of failing, before exuding more magic to maintain the crumbling structure of her shield. She could spy Light Spinner through the chaos, staring right at her from a little distance away. She still held the shard in her open hand, as if to taunt Raven with it. A seemingly infinite amount of light bleeding out, keeping any from getting too close. A good strategy, and one that Raven was determined to step over. Literally. With one foot in front of another, along with the physical and mental weight of the barrier surrounding her, she marched forward. 

"Just...a little...more!" her wavering voice echoed out as she planted another foot forward. On and on, until she dared to peer through her feverish haze, meeting the pale, inhuman eyes of her target, practically on top of her as the combined bombardment of magic continued to splinter Raven's shield to its limits. 

A guttural cry. Raven raised her fist, laced with magic and desperation. She watched her own fist arc over her shoulder, hurtling toward Light Spinner with a fury. This was it. Just make contact. Knock her down, then tear that damnable shark, even if she had to take the arm with it. 

Contact. 

The punch was far from graceful, but Raven could feel it, biting into Light Spinner's ethereal flesh, knocking her off balance. Down, down, down. She was going to fall. Collapse on the scorched earth, leaving her free for Raven to pluck her quarry like a vulture.  That is, until what was supposed to be soft tissue was replaced with the hardness of iron. A voice, patronizing voice, erupted into a vindictive chortle. 

“Now, now." Light Spinner's body began to shimmer and shift. “A sorcerer must never lose their focus.”

Pale green skin and gleaming emerald eyes gave way to a ruby red mask and sleek obsidian hair. Her smooth features turned to malevolence in the blink of an eye, elegant robes darkening amidst tendrils of shadows as she melted away to reveal: Shadow Weaver. Raven balked as she turned to look where Shadow Weaver had been standing. In her place stood Light Spinner, her eyes glowing with that same eerie and serene power as before. Their places traded like a second-rate magic trick. 

“One must never forget the basics, if one wishes to one day become great,” Light Spinner’s calm yet commanding voice echoed across the space to Raven, filling her ears even from a distance away. "When it comes to magic; leave nothing to chance."

A click of fingers. 

Raven screeched as she was swallowed by light; a pure glimmering prism ensnaring her before her scream could reach the outside world. The radiant prison closed in on her, meshing around her limbs as pain flared through her paralyzed body. She tossed and thrashed against the lustrous binds, but they wouldn’t give. It held her in place, keeping her immobile as the prism lifted into the air, floating her higher and higher until she was floating quite a distance above the ocean's surface. A sacrifice, bound in light, hovering over a watery grave

Shadow Weaver watched on, entranced by the mighty show of power as she glanced down at her own palms. Her awe and envy toyed with each other as she flexed her fingers, feeling the raw, untamed power coursing through her veins. She had never felt this powerful, not even with the Spell of Obtainment. A bittersweetness settled between her ribs at the realization that she could have never reached this point on her own. She steeled herself. This was her moment. To take control. To step out of Hordak’s shadow. To do what she had always wanted. To claim what should have rightfully hers. Mysticor. Adora. Her freedom. All of it had never felt more within her reach.

She looked up at Raven, trapped and helpless. An ugly end. 

“Just one last songbird left to silence."

A new spell conjured, summoning dark rings of magic that revolved around each other in a dizzying formation. They folded again and again into one singularity until the smallest circle was formed, tightening into a final, single point of unparalleled power. With a flick of her wrist, they collapsed inwardly, and unleashed an almighty howl. A pillar of darkness. Ravenous. Unstoppable. 

The prism was consumed completely. All went black. 

Unmoving, Light Spinner and Shadow Weaver watched on as the sky darkened, while whatever scraps of incinerated clothing belonging to the Titan were swallowed by the sea. A chill of finality swept through the air. They spoke as one. 

“Lesson over.” 

The water was thick with ozone and magic, a gloom hanging low. Shadows retreated back to the stone, and light faded from the night. The ocean was silent...before the air itself cracked open, it's sole inhabit spat into the darkness of the depths. 

Violently thrown from her portal, battered and broken as the watery world around her faded in and out of vision, Raven lurched. Immense cold welled up around her as bubbles escaped her lips. The water embraced her, pulling and yanking her into the undercurrent as she gasped. The abyss loomed below her, threatening to swallow her whole if she gave up on the barest strength left in her kicks. The portal was closing above her as she reached her fingers up towards the moonlight, weaving across the surface of the water. It was merely a gash in the fabric of space and time, a cut of darkness standing out against the deepest blue of the night sky.

Alone and anguished, her thoughts spiraled into an unwanted chaos. Her mind fragmented. Her lungs burned with desperation. Strength faded from her muscles. She was falling. Sinking. Into darkness. In the furthest reaches of her dwindling thoughts, she swore she could hear the rumblings of her father's laughter. A sickly celebration. 

Her eyes stung. Time to rest. 

“...ven!”

A voice in the dark. Far away. Fading. A final act of ego amidst the throes of death. Until said throws bellowed in her ear with the loudness of a cannon, and twice the force. 

“Raven! Breathe! You have to breathe!”

Hers eyes flew open. She spluttered. Darkness still flooding her vision, the water still coiled around her, and yet, she could breathe. Sweet, sweet oxygen lathering her lungs. Her relief so intense it took her way too long to notice the bubble of air that now neatly sat around her lips. Air rushing in from the watery wastes. 

“...What?”

Her words rippled through the bubble, vibrations tingling around her in the fraught space. A temporary moment of safety. Even then, the voices persisted.

“Oh, thank the spirits! Thought we lost you for a moment there!”

The voice was becoming all too familiar within Raven's mind. 

"Korra?"

"Who else? Bet you didn't see - GAH!" she squawked. "Would you please be careful with that needle Lin!"

Korra’s hitched as the boiled needle made swift strokes through her bruised flesh to seal off a nasty cut. She would have used water-bending to deal with such an injury, but a combination of mental strain and utter fatigue had robbed her of her ability to bend effectively. So for now, once again, she was having to rely on the steel queen herself to patch her up. Not that she had a choice in the matter. 

The scene before her wasn’t pretty. Zaofu had seen the brunt of the fallout from Terra’s attack. The air still reeked of dust and debris, the streets littered with metal, rock, and dirt - the product of all manners of fallen buildings and wrecked walls. The city had certainly seen better days. Suyin’s guests and staff were rushing about, attending to those who had suffered the worse in the aftermath of the unexpected strike. Some were bandaging up the injured. Some were searching for their loved ones, while the more capable were earthbending the rubble out of the way. 

"Quick complaining and focus on your little chat, I'm almost done here," Lin replied sharply, her own body tightly bound in some well placed binds, red smudges within. 

Korra was too tired to verbally spar, returning her focus to the undersea sorceress. “Glad you haven’t gotten your wings clipped just yet.”

A third voice cut in. 

“What is going on?!” Adora asked again. “Nobody’s telling me anything! Are you guys doing okay? Korra, are you okay? Raven, you good? Somebody say something!”

A pause, followed by Korra's painful chuckles and Raven's nauseated sighs. 

“Could be better,” Korra chuckled.

“What she said.” Raven sighed, though her relief did not go unmissed. "Everything hurts.” She coughed a little, still inhaling spurts of oxygen to try and catch her breath. She was aching in places that she didn’t even know possible. “Don’t ask me to repeat this,” Raven said. “But I’m happy to hear your voices.”

Adora and Korra gasped dramatically in tandem.

“Are you okay?” Adora asked, a little in awe. “Did you hit your head?”

Korra chimed in. “Have to admit, you're a lot nicer when you're drowning."

Raven’s judging silence was enough to make them laugh again.

“Thought you two were goners," Adora sighed.

"Still might be. If this shard hunt doesn't get me, then the public backlash will," Korra added. 

“Look, I love this little post near-death-experience get-together we have going on here,” Raven interjected. “But what in Azareth is going on here?" she groaned, the flickers of magic she had left serving to heat her frigid body with a thin veil, trying to keep her body steady. "I just fought Shadow Weaver's bright and shiny clone, was nearly reduced to ash, and now I can breathe underwater. Explain. Promptly." 

 Adora's voice wavered amidst the waves. 

 “Light Spinner...” she breathed. "I would say it's impossible, but nothing's been making sense since this whole thing started." 

 “They bested me,” Raven continued, the admission leaving her hollow. “I've never seen magic of such purity, or at a level so advanced. I should be dead...and now I'm literally swimming with the fishes. This your doing, Avatar?"

Korra replied sheepishly. "I just...did what Iroh said. Focused on this connection we seem to have. Don't ask for specifics because I'm still not sure how any of this works. I felt your distress, the cold of the water, and before I knew it, my mind went back to my days of waterbending training. And...this is the result."

“Huh.” Raven hummed. “An instinctual transfer of your non-magic, born out of our empathic link. A portion of your power becomes mine, and in that one moment, what should be impossible becomes omnipotent muscle memory. Not bad."

"I'm pretty sure that's exactly what I said. Just...without the fancy words." 

Raven was silent for a moment.

“Thank you,” she said. “To the both of you.” She took a long, deep breath, drawing in the precious air surrounding her in the bubble. This was odd, but at least she was alive. That would suffice for now. At least until she dared venture above the water's skin, back to where here quarry was waiting for her. Along with those that had nearly driven her to an early demise. "Now...I just have to figure out how I'm going to win this fight."

A grim moment of silence lapsed before Korra spoke again.

“Don’t sweat it, sorceress.” Fire in her voice. “If there’s one thing an Avatar is good at, it’s a counterattack.”