This is the longest chapter ever!

The First Avatar

Book 3: Wrath

Chapter 30: Dawn

In the middle of the Circle of Limbo; Silver and the others had gathered so they could rest and heal; watching over Bolin and Tahno, whom were still unconscious but no longer in danger, and Azun whom was badly hurt but not likely to die anytime soon. With eight out of nine victories assured for Team Avatar; Mako was confident that they could beat Necros and finally end the war, but Jinora wasn't as sure.

"I just have a really bad feeling. It's like someone put a weight on my chest." She said, rubbing her chest like it was sore.

Azun was about to respond, but suddenly noticed something unsettling. Silver, Kye, Yami and Sonata were all stood still a short distance away from them. they weren't talking; but it looked like they'd frozen in the middle of getting some terrible news. "Hey, Silver! Are you guys okay?"

Mako and Jinora looked over at them as well, but Silver refused to react. She just stood there like a statue. Yami and Sonata gave her sympathetic looks, but ultimately it was up to Kye to deliver the news to the younger generation.

Sullenly, the goddess walked over to those young ones who were still unconscious, and every step filled them with dread. Kye knew something horrible had happened; something beyond horrible…

"I'm sorry…but the Ninth Battle just ended. Necros defeated Korra…and killed her." Kye said, almost in a monotone.

Time seemed to stand still as Mako, Jinora and Azun stared blankly at Kye. She had to be kidding…there was no way Korra was dead! She was just too stubborn to die…it wasn't possible!

"You're lying! This isn't funny; don't mess with us!" Mako yelled, his anger making him lose control of his firebending to the extent that parts of his body caught on fire.

Azun just lay back in the makeshift bed that the Spectres had given them, his eyes blank and his mouth firmly shut; not able to fully process what had happened.

Jinora wasn't able to believe it any better than Mako, but she soon discovered that the tightness in her chest was caused by Raava sensing the death of Korra; which forced Jinora to believe Kye's words. The little girl fell to her knees and cried; sobbing loudly at the loss of her best friend and big sister figure. Kye just watched with a miserable look on her face, gently rocking Joewe, whom was thankfully sleeping.

What the young ones couldn't see, was that Silver's face wasn't much different from Jinora's. her eyes streamed endless tears as the Kami silently mourned her friend and apprentice. Much to Team Avatar's misery; their sadness was about to be increased by a horrid revelation.

Sprinting through the gates of Limbo's courthouse; a white wolf appeared. With great agility, the creature darted through the crowds of Spectres and Spirits awaiting judgement and easily found Silver's group; recognising Azun and the people around him. "Please! Which one of you is Silver?"

Silver turned with a look of surprise, her eyes still flowing, and stared at the wolf. "Wait…aren't you Han? The Spirit of Patience?"

"Yes! Are you Silver? Miss Korra saved me and asked that I bring you to Necros in order to help her. she wanted you to save her injured friends first, but it looks like you've already did that." Han said, panting after running such a long distance.

Yami's eyes widened. "But…Korra knew we couldn't help her. these battles are one-on-one until the first nine are over. It only becomes an all-out brawl if members from both sides survive the first nine fights."

"I'm not sure what Miss Korra was thinking, but she mentioned holding Necros off for as long as possible." Han said. "So are we going? We need to save her; she was already hurt just protecting me from Necros' attack."

After hearing Han's words; Silver felt like crying all over again. "She sent Han to get me…because she knew she wouldn't win. Korra knew that against Necros; it would be a death match and she still knew she wouldn't win. She held him off as long as possible…she never planned on leaving here alive."

Jinora's heart almost stopped. "That's why…that's why she didn't become the Avatar again. She knew she was going to die…" the girl raised a hand to her mouth, feeling like she was about to throw up. "Oh no…Korra!"

Mako growled. "It can't be! Why would she lay down and die! There's no way she would do that!"

"I'm afraid you're wrong."

Team Avatar froze. That voice…it was unmistakable. Right behind Han, walking through the parting crowd of watching spirits, was Necros himself; still equipped with his dark angel Anima Aes form. The spike that extended from his right hand was still there, and blood was dripping from it. "Korra is indeed dead. She died to buy you all time. It was an admirable sacrifice, but ultimately worthless. Now hold still; I promised her I'd kill you painlessly."

"What!? How could he have gotten here so soon after me!? He couldn't have beaten Miss Korra that fast!" Han exclaimed.

"No, I didn't. I had to use Ophi to win easily… I only got here so fast because I am able to move very easily in the Necropolis. Oh, and Silver; you should be proud of your apprentice, she knew her death was coming so she accepted it without argument. It was admirable. There is nothing worse in battle than an opponent who cries and begs when their life is over." Necros said, frowning.

"YOU BASTARD!" Silver roared, losing all grip on her restraint and attacking Necros with full force. Furiously, Silver bent her own tears into an icy spike similar to Necros' and began using it to fence with her corrupted brother, whom no longer wore the amused grin he usually did in battle. He was just sad now; and he had hoped to take out the mortals before corrupting Jinora and working with her to corrupt Yami. Without Yami, he couldn't complete his plan, and after he'd killed Korra; Necros had no intention on pulling out of his plan!

Since neither Silver nor Necros' weapon had an edge and could only hurt with stabbing attacks; the two were kept in a stalemate for a few moments as they struck the spikes against each other like swords, but before long, Necros' bone spike proved tougher than Silver's ice one and shattered it with a strong strike. The shattered ice got in Silver's eyes and gave Necros the chance to quickly impale her through the heart, but it didn't kill the immortal; only angered her.

The spike that still had Korra's blood was now stabbed through Silver's heart and through it; she could almost feel how Korra must have felt in her final moments. Her fury tripled instantly and Silver pulled herself further down the spike, stopping Necros from escaping and giving the woman the chance to unleash a flurry of fire, lightning and ice empowered punches; each punch changing the element before landing again and again and again. A few moments of this was enough to leave Necros bleeding from his nose, lip and eyes; but it wasn't enough to stop him completely. With no other option, he retracted the bone spike back into his hand, only to be stabbed through the back by Sonata; who'd drawn her katana and was glaring down at Necros with almost as much fury as Silver.

"Expel Ophi from your body! You die today demon, don't drag her down with you!" Sonny yelled.

"I won't fall to you!" Necros roared, grabbing Sonata's blade, which protruded from his stomach, and pulled it, forcing Sonata to smack into his heavily armoured wings. That was enough to stun her and loosen her grip on the sword, allowing Necros to spin around and kick her to the ground. Sighing angrily, the Necromancer pulled the blade all the way through his body and threw it at Sonata's feet.

"I promised Korra I'd do this painlessly; just surrender!" Necros yelled. He suddenly found his eyes and tongue melted out of his head by intense flames, as Mako and Kye combined their firebending to assault him. Kye's flames boiled the liquid in his eyes, blinding him while Mako's turned his tongue into a bloody paste.

It was everything Azun could do just to cover Jinora's eyes before she saw the horrific scene. Necros roared in pain and fell to the floor; clawing at the ground and his own throat, as some of the boiling liquid from his tongue had gone down it and seared the inside. It was the most painful thing that Azun had ever seen and it even made him, a person used to the darker side of the world, cringe.

"Um, Han? You're Fen's opposite right?" Azun asked, trying to comfort Jinora whilst blocking out the sound of Necros' cries.

Han looked away from the black haired man, who was beginning to heal, and faced Azun. "Yes, I am. I want to apologise about that as well." Han said, his ears low and his tail between his legs; clearly sad that Necros had killed Korra after she'd saved him.

"I'll forgive you, but I need a favour. I can't have Jinora seeing this and…and someone needs to collect Korra's body." Azun frowned, feeling Jinora flinch against him at the mention. "Would you take us to her? I'm certain these guys can take Necros."

The wolf spirit nodded and began to glow; becoming large enough for Azun and Jinora to ride him. With a thankful smile, Azun hopped on and kept the silently crying child in front him as they began running towards the Ninth Circle.

"I know you don't want to see this, but I can't leave you there; I don't have the strength to protect you as I am." Azun whispered to Jinora, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

With a miserable look on her face, Jinora looked up at him. "If I'd forced Korra to take Raava back, she'd be alive right now, wouldn't she?"

Azun shook his head. "Korra would never have accepted it. I can't speak for her, but I think she'd have preferred to die on her own terms than live on somebody else's."

Jinora bit her lip and hugged Azun; trying to stifle her crying but finding it impossible. The firebender gently petted the girl's head, feeling just as terrible as she did…after all, as far was he was concerned, he'd failed in his duty by allowing Korra to die…

With the two of them heading off to the Circle of Betrayal with Han, Silver and the others were left to fight Necros. The fight was becoming even more one sided with every passing minute as Necros did nothing but try and defend against ferocious attacks from Mako and Silver while occasionally weathering the weaker attacks of Sonata and Yami. Kye outright refused to attack him unless he got too close to the unconscious Bolin and Tahno, but that didn't comfort him much. Despite his goals and his madness; Necros didn't break promises no matter what happened. His only option was to defend and only attack when he had a clear, lethal shot.

He'd noticed Jinora leaving with Azun and Han, which ruined his plans to use her to corrupt Yami, but so long as she was in the Necropolis, he had the upper hand. Growling with frustration, Necros used his energybending abilities to transform his body into pure energy and disperse himself; reassembling his body at a distance from his opponents. This was the Chi-Flicker and it was a form of instant short distance travel useable by all energybenders with good control. Mako spotted Necros on top of the stand that the judges of Limbo sat on, and immediately propelled himself upward for an attack.

At the angle he was at, Necros couldn't use a lethal blow that was relatively painless, so he opted to instead focus as much black lightning into his fingertips as he could, before sidestepping Mako's flaming fist and jabbing him in the spine; electrocuting him into unconsciousness. Necros smiled slightly; now that Mako was out cold, he could be killed quickly and without pain. But the boy's allies weren't going to back down so easily, and Kye joined the fight to save Mako by shooting bolts of lightning at Necros; hitting his arm and causing it to spasm from the electricity; resulting in him dropping Mako to where Yami could easily retrieve him with her airbending.

Necros scowled and gripped his arm, forcing the residual electricity from Kye's attack to flow into the ground. "A powerful Firebender, two powerful airbenders and an Avatar; and all immortal. This isn't going to be easy…" Necros muttered.

Kye could see Necros preparing to use a black fire bomb; a move he had used on her while she was hunting him, all the way back during the trouble with Unalaq and Vaatu. There was an obvious tell in the way the man was concentrating heat energy in his palms without converting it into fire. He was only using the first step of firebending, which was gathering the energy and not the second, which was the transformation into fire.

"Yami; remember that trick we used back when we fought Tensa?" Kye asked quietly.

Her younger sister nodded. "It was the day that the two of us teamed up with Silver to defeat him… I can do it; if you want."

Kye simply nodded and offer her palm to Yami. Like Necros' black fire bomb; Kye and Yami had a combination attack that involved gathering heat energy without turning it into fire, however Yami complimented the ability by bending air into the mass of energy; causing it to spark to life as a powerful and intense white flame; hotter than even blue flames. by using oxygen to feed the flame and keeping both the air and fire tightly compacted; Kye could maintain and control a mass of fire that was stronger than any firebender could do alone.

When the attack was complete, Kye seemed to be holding a simple ball of energy, which glowed white, while Necros had a ball of tightly packed black fire in his hand. Charging forward, both immortals slammed their respective attacks against each other; creating an explosion of fire that erupted upward in a pillar of fire that easily melted a hole in the roof of the Dead man's court. Not only that, but it blasted through the floor of the court and even through the bottom of the island, heading all the way down to the centre of the maelstrom in which the Ninth Circle sat. Everyone in the Necropolis and in the Spirit World above saw this pillar of fire and a mix of hope and fear began to spread throughout the Spirit World.

The pillar of fire was either a beacon of victory for Team Avatar, or for Necros…at least as far as the spirits were concerned.

Back in the centre of the Circle of Limbo; Team Avatar was carefully watching the smoke that flooded the area of impact. They couldn't see Kye or Necros, but they knew both immortals would be alive. The explosion of flame had awoken Joewe, whom fussily reached out toward the flames from her place in Sonata's arms. Unable to take the intense waiting, Yami blew the smoke away with airbending, and found both Kye and Necros stood exactly as they had been when they collided, even with their arms still extended. Both of them were badly burnt, especially on Kye's arm and Necros' chest. The Armoured sections of Necros' body were next to unharmed, with only a few scratches.

The first noise was Kye coughing, as she tried to move her badly hurt body. "Ugh…damn it… I don't remember that attack being so strong…" she muttered.

"Ophi…makes all my attacks…stronger." Necros panted, falling backward. He lay there on his back for a few moments, but was forced to roll away before he could heal, as Sonata quickly moved to pin him to the ground with her blade. Necros moved quickly, even as the pain of his blistered skin slowly chipped away at his will to fight. Joewe was placed between Tahno and Bolin, and even though he barely had any strength, the barely conscious Tahno moved his arm over her to show she was safe with him.

"I'll give you all credit; you're all very powerful. I wish more of you had fallen in the first nine battles; the all-out tenth match is always the most annoying one." Necros said with a small sigh.

Silver looked at her brother; burnt to an almost inhuman degree, the arms and wing of a demon and eyes as red as blood. This wasn't her brother anymore; he'd killed Korra. The First Avatar swallowed and turned to Yami and Sonata. "My father passed on an ability that will let me extract Vaatu's energy from him and merge it with myself. If I'm right, that should also force Ophi out of him. When that happens; Sonata, you've got to severe the link and then kill Necros. Yami, you'll have to kill me."

"Why do you have to die!?" Yami yelled. "Surely you can handle Vaatu's power as well as Raava's!"

"I've lived too long. I led Korra to her death in this hellhole; I need to atone for that. Please do this for me." Silver said, putting a hand on Yami's shoulder while Sonata helped the injured Kye move back to sit with the other injured allies.

Yami looked away and gently pushed Silver's hand off her shoulder. "I'll do it. But I think this is wrong."

"I know… it's unfair of me to ask you to do this, but I have no other choice." Silver said, smiling sadly.

Necros scoffed and stood up; his body mostly healed by a combination of his natural immortal body and his waterbending. "Let's get this over with…I promised Korra I wouldn't hurt you; but I have no choice now. I'll wipe you all out no matter what, then I'll drag Jinora back here, corrupt Yami and finally end this life!"

Necros and Silver clashed; entering a brutal life and death battle; completely ignorant to the life and death battle happening many miles beneath them…

In the centre of the badly damaged Ice Palace of the Ninth Circle; Korra's body lay where Necros had left it. The girl wasn't breathing and her heartbeat was next to non-existent. But regardless of that, the young woman was still alive; deep within her, her soul still clung to life. Her consciousness floated somewhere beyond the physical plains of existence; between life and death.

Korra felt no pain or emotion here. She wasn't even sure where "here" was. All she knew was that she was floating in a strange void where twelve streams of colour flowed like intertwining rivers. They flowed around her and through her, and each felt and smelled different as they went past the dead girl's soul.

"Where am I?" she said, speaking in a monotone. She felt no emotion, but she was curious. "Is curiosity an emotion… I don't know. What's going to happen to me now? I'm scared…I want to go back…I don't want to be dead." She said, all in the same tone, despite knowing that she should feel something.

"You are not dead; at least not completely."

Korra turned and looked behind, seeing the familiar face of Tensa, whom was watching her with a scowl. "You're Tensa, right? My memories are a bit faded…how long have I been here?"

"Not long. This place is the Soul Stream; where all souls go…the multiple rivers here decide where your soul ends up. Most will take you to the Spirit World; some will take you back to the Mortal Realm, some to the Necropolis…it's not known by anyone. As the Vessel of the Divine of Death, I have the ability to put off death, but not stop it." Tensa explained.

"Put off death?" Korra said.

"Yes. You died…partially. Necros killed you and now your body barely clings to life with a faint heartbeat, and your soul remains stuck here. Until your body dies, your soul will remain here…unless you are revived."

Korra frowned. "Why are you trying to save me?"

Tensa smirked at her. "My goal is like Necros'…I want to destroy this world. But I want to rebuild it as well. I believe that I need someone like you in the new world, so I have to make sure you survive to see it. You and Team Avatar will be the kings and queens of that new world."

A bit of emotion returned to Korra, and she giggled. "Me, a queen? I think Lin and Tenzin would have a heart attack. I'm not suited to be a ruler…I didn't even make that good of an Avatar."

The dark haired former Avatar smirked at Korra. "You think being a queen is above being an Avatar? Why my dear child, you couldn't be more wrong! The Avatar stands above all mankind! Gods and Kamis are meant to rule the mortals. Do you honestly think a puny, small, weak, short-lived human could rightfully order around powerful beings such as myself, Silver, Necros and Kye? It was a terrible choice to let Jinora remain an Avatar in your place! She was chosen to be above normal humans, but not to be on the level of a God!"

Korra frowned. "I'm not interested in ruling anyone. I just wanted to do my job as Avatar, and I did what I could. Now it's over."

"Over? Oh no it isn't. right now, I'm using all the power I can to keep you on the verge of death; stopping you from making the plunge! And whether you want to rule or not, it is your destiny! It is the destiny of all Avatars, past and future, to take what they are owed! Too long has humanity viewed us as weapons and tools. We fix their problems and are expected to make personal sacrifices for the greater good!? Why should we give up anything to solve their problems? We shouldn't!" Tensa yelled.

Korra wanted to argue, but at least a part of what Tensa said made her stomach churn. Avatars were considered heroes…they made great sacrifices for the sake of the people. But then why, after all the sacrifices of all the Avatars, did humanity still need saving. Almost no Avatars had led uneventful lives. They had been hunted and used by some, or worshipped and prayed to by others.

"I don't know why you're doing this…but all I know, is that if you want to use me in completing your plan, you'd be better off letting me die." Korra said, feeling anger again.

Tensa sighed and shook his head. "Sorry child, but you don't have a choice. I don't need you for my plan; I just want you to help control the new world. If you died here, it would be a pain. Now just stay nice and quiet until your friends come. I'd heal you myself, but I can't do that and keep you alive at the same time."

Korra frowned and looked away, watching the coloured streams flowing around the place, all the while aware that Tensa was quietly watching her; his presence acting like an anchor to stop her soul from moving on. In the distance, Korra could sense the battle going on in the First Circle and it saddened her, as she knew Necros and Silver would both likely die. It wasn't fair… Will wasn't evil, he was corrupted by madness! But Korra couldn't fix that. Silver was willing to die to stop him, even though she shouldn't need to, but Korra couldn't fix that either.

"Honestly Tensa, sometimes I think it would be better if Light and Darkness were the same thing. Almost all the troubles we've had recently have been from Light and Darkness being enemies." The girl said with a sigh of regret.

Tensa shook his head. "If that's how you feel, live. Live and make your desire a reality. If I can try and make a new world and Necros can try and destroy all life, I think you could make Light and Darkness allies."

Korra just floated in place for a few moments, thinking sadly on how she'd be able to do such a thing. The constant wars and problems would never end so long as Light and Darkness always fought. If she could only bring a lasting peace between them…

A thought suddenly came to her. 'I know what to do! Now I just have to hope I can get out of here…'

As if answering her wishes, Jinora, Han and Azun arrived in the Ninth Circle; hoping to collect the body of their fallen friend. Azun slowly walked up to the icy castle, holding onto Han's fur for support as his body had yet to heal. Jinora stayed on the wolf spirit's back; holding her tears in so they wouldn't freeze in this frigid place, though it was also so she could try and appear brave, even if Azun and Raava knew she was really hurting inside.

They reached the gates of the ruined palace and noticed a large portion of it was gone; likely destroyed by the fiery pillar made by Necros and Kye. Azun looked up at the Circle of Limbo, which looked like the size of a coin from where he stood. Even from all the distance, he could see sparks and clouds of dust caused by the battle still raging up there. Putting it out of his mind, he helped Jinora to her feet as they entered the throne room.

Both of them felt their hearts stop for a moment as they saw what they came for; Korra's body, lying dead where Necros had laid her. Her arms were by her sides and her eyes were closed, almost like she was just sleeping. Before Azun could stop her, Jinora ran to her older friend and knelt beside her, examining her body…hoping without hope that she was still alive. Korra's body remained still, and the grisly wound in the centre of her chest showed that she wouldn't be getting back up again.

Seeing this made a new wave of misery overcome Jinora, and she cried out as she threw herself over Korra's body; crying over the body of the older sister that Korra had been. Azun swallowed hard as he tried to stop himself from bursting into tears as well. He couldn't do that now…he had to keep his head. If he didn't, Jinora would be a sitting duck.

Quietly, he sat beside Korra's body and held her hand. "Korra…I'm sorry. I am so so sorry." He muttered.

Jinora suddenly sat up, the blood from Korra's wound on her clothes and in her hair. "I heard a heartbeat."

Azun frowned. "She has no pulse…she's gone. Your mind is playing tricks on you."

"No it isn't! I heard it, I swear!"

The young man's scowl grew larger. Sighing, he knelt down to place his head on Korra's heart; listening carefully for what Jinora heard. He knew he shouldn't…he was encouraging Jinora's fantasies! She was just a kid wanting her friend to be alive even though there was no possible way that Korra was…

Thump thump.

Azun fell backwards, startled by the quiet noise. "No way…that really was a heartbeat…"

"It's really slow and quiet, but it's there! I told you! She's still alive!" Jinora shouted, smiling wider than Azun had ever seen.

"This wound is horrible though…we'll need to close it, AND get her breathing again AND strengthen her heartbeat." Azun said, trying to find solutions for the problems in his head.

"Raava, you can help me heal her with waterbending right? And I bet if Azun does his lightning thing, he could make her heart beat properly!" Jinora smiled.

Raava poked her head out of Jinora's chest and nodded. "I can help you. but if we do this, it'll be temporary. She'll live for only a short time; an hour at most. She needs to bond with a Divine Spirit in order to heal from this wound."

"That's fine! If you don't mind, I'll give up the powers of an Avatar to save her!" Jinora declared.

Raava looked between Azun and Jinora; taking in their determined looks. They had already made their decision, and she was happy to help. "Very well. First, we need to seal the wound. We can't heal it; so we can use Korra's own blood to freeze the wound closed. That will slow the bleeding and will let his get her heart beating."

Jinora nodded, and began following Raava's instructions; carefully freezing Korra's blood. It was hard, since Jinora wasn't able to bloodbend, but after a few minutes, both the wound in Korra's back and her chest were sealed up.

Next was Azun's turn.

Rubbing his hands together to generate a small amount of lightning, the young man propped Korra up so he could place his hands on her back. "No, child. You must have one hand on either side of her heart for this. One on her back and one on her chest." Raava said.

"Uh…okay. Sorry Korra…" he muttered the last part as he moved one hand so it was over Korra's breast. Azun wasn't usually this nervous with women, but Korra was a different story. Ignoring the embarrassment, he charged the lightning through her, carefully controlling it to make sure it didn't cause too much damage. The lightning passed between his hands and continuously bounced between his palms; slowly making Korra's heart beat grow stronger. After a few minutes, the young man could happily put his hands away and lower Korra back on her back; her heart beating more regularly.

"Excellent! Now the only thing left to do is get her breathing again." Raava said, still connected to Jinora via her tail, but also partially outside her body and wrapped around her like a sash. "Azun, this is your job as well."

Azun paused. "Wait, what? Shouldn't Jinora do it? She's an airbender after all."

Raava chuckled. "Airbending to support Korra's entire respiratory system would be impossible for someone as young as Jinora. We'll need to do this the old fashioned way, with the kiss of life."

Azun scowled. "Now you're just messing with me…"

"Her heart won't keep beating if she can't breathe…" Raava said, waving her ribbon like tendrils. Azun sighed and looked down at Korra.

"Korra, I am REALLY sorry for this…" he muttered, wearing a shy grin. Taking a deep breath, the young man tilted Korra's head back and opened her mouth, before sealing his lips over hers and breathed into her. once Azun was out of breath, he stopped and put his hands on Korra's chest and pumped down on it, before taking a breath and repeating it.

Azun had done this before, as Varrick made everyone who worked around him learn these techniques in case he needed them, though Azun had always joked he'd let Varrick suffocate before giving him the kiss of life. Despite his knowledge of it, the young man was still shocked when it actually worked…

Korra suddenly spluttered to life, just as Azun ended the third attempt. Her eyes opened wide, her chest moved up and down rapidly as she panted and she grimaced at the pain in her chest.

"Ugh…A-Azun? Jinora?" she choked out. "You're here….you saved me?"

"Korra!" Jinora yelled, tightly hugging her friend as she began to cry from joy. "I thought you were dead!" she sobbed.

Korra chuckled. "I think I was…without you two and Tensa, I'd be dead."

Raava looked at Korra with worried curiosity. "Did you say Tensa helped you?"

"Yeah…ugh…sorry, it's hard to talk. Tensa kept me on the verge of death for some reason or another…I spoke to him about stuff but can't remember much. But I did figure out how to end all this fighting, once and for all." Korra declared, talking bravely despite needing Azun's help just to sit up right.

"So you thought of a way of beating Necros? That's good, as the Goddess' are up in Limbo fighting him." Azun explained. Korra and Azun briefly exchanged what had happened in the other's absence, with Korra completely oblivious to why Azun was bright red…

After they exchanged their brief accounts, Korra turned to Raava. "Raava, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you open a portal into the Boundary? Or rather, to a specific place inside it?"

Raava nodded. "I can. Do you want to go to the Avatar Bridge?"

"No." Korra said, looking nervous. "I want you to take me to where Vaatu is."

Jinora, Azun and Raava froze, looking at Korra like she was insane. "What…?"

"I want you to take me to Vaatu. I have unfinished business with him!"

Raava shook her head. "No! We still have Necros to deal with and your body won't hold up for more than an hour. Stop this foolishness and allow me to enter your body so I can heal you properly. Once Necros is beaten and you are fully healed, maybe then I will listen to this crazy idea you have."

"No! I refuse." Korra yelled. "This will never end if we don't do this now! I can save Necros and everyone! I just need to go to where Vaatu is!"

"Why try to save Necros? What's the point!?" Raava yelled.

Jinora and Azun were unsure of what to do as the shouting match between Korra and Raava intensified. Even though Korra had not yet said it, they had a feeling that they knew what she wanted to say.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES!" Korra roared, getting to her feet even though she barely had the strength to move. "Every time it's the same thing! No matter what I do, no matter what any Avatar does, it never ends! Evil Spirits, evil people, disasters of all sorts, it doesn't matter! Avatars give up everything but it never solves anything. We end a war and another begins, we beat an enemy and another arrives. We need to break that cycle! We need to bring balance!"

Raava was silenced, if only for a moment. "And how will Vaatu bring balance?"

"Light and Darkness are two sides of the same coin. It's Yin and Yang; something I learnt a lot about as a Waterbender. If we constantly crush the darkness, we'll create just as much imbalance as if we were defeated by it. We need to bring Light and Darkness together."

The Divine Spirit of Light looked down at her former host and shook her head. "Very well. I will take you to him. But if he pulls anything, you may be hurt…and I don't know if we could bring you back again."

"I know. I'm not merging with you again precisely for that reason; I'm betting my life on the Balance. If I can't find a permanent solution, I'll die trying." The young woman declared.

Han chuckled and roughly grabbed Korra's shirt with his fangs, throwing her onto his back. "I'll carry you there. You could have destroyed me and it wouldn't have affected you but you still chose to help. I'll be your legs."

"I agree." Azun said. "You can't fight for yourself, so I'll be your fists if Vaatu tries anything."

Jinora nodded. "I'm going too. I don't want to see you disappear again; so I'll bet my life on your plan as well!"

Raava sighed and retreated back inside Jinora, possessing the girl's body. "I'll use Jinora's body to speak and move. We will be arriving right in front of Vaatu's sealed body; so be ready." Raava warned.

Korra nodded, and after a few minutes of struggling (and some help from Azun) the young woman was finally able to get on Han's back. Raava shook her head again and mumbled to herself, unable to believe Vaatu was where their focus should be. Still, Korra was determined and after proving that to the divine, Raava had a hard time refusing. So, just as Korra had asked, Raava stretched her tentacles out of Jinora's body and used them to seemingly rip open the air itself; creating a glowing white hole in thin air.

Before entering it, Jinora peeked through and could see a small chunk of earth on which a familiar statue sat. The statue was made of white and blue crystal, and appeared to be modelled after Raava, but both Jinora and her spirit ally knew what was really inside that mass of crystal. The imprisoned Vaatu hadn't changed a bit in the weeks he had been sealed away…none of them thought they'd see him again in their lifetimes.

"Raava, would you be able to reseal Vaatu with Jinora if things went badly?" Korra asked.

Raava nodded silently as they walked into the portal, stepping foot on the piece of earth that Vaatu's sealed form ended up on. "It's worrying how much he looks like me when covered in that crystal." Raava muttered, using Jinora's body and voice.

"Well you are twins, aren't you? Silver would look just like Necros if he still had white hair." Korra replied, trying to remain conscious. She didn't want to worry her friends, but the young former Avatar feared she didn't have long before succumbing to her wounds. Her heart had already begun to slow and her breathing was laboured.

"This is going to be hard…I need to release Vaatu just enough to talk to him, but not enough for him to escape." The girl muttered, dragging herself off of Han's back and walking awkwardly towards that statue. The spirits of Water that resided within her, the ones she'd evicted and sent back to the Spirit World, had already forced her chakra open and come back in; desperately trying to heal her.

It always puzzled her why these spirits were so enamoured by her…why Divines and highly powerful humans alike trusted her. Korra was just one girl; not even considered an adult yet…but they trusted her. As Korra placed her hands on the sealed Spirit of Darkness; she realised why.

She tried…she never stopped trying. If she failed, she learnt from her mistakes and moved on. Her weakest moments weren't when she was beaten; but when she dwelled on her defeat. Despite everything it had thrown at her in the recent months; the world gave her chance after chance to get things right…to do the right thing. Now it was her turn to offer the same kindness to Vaatu.

The crystal that covered the centre of Vaatu's face; the markings which resembled an eye began to disappear and the black and red being began to move. It's eye flickered between the firebender boy; struggling to walk, the Airbender girl; container to his sister, and the last one; Korra.

"My sister's new toy. Not even dead and already replaced by a newer model? When did the light become so fickle." Vaatu said, his tone like that of a guardian dragon, awoken while sleeping atop his treasure.

"Lights tend to go out. Mine got too dull, so Raava needed a new one. But I didn't come here today just for that…I came for you." Korra choked out, her vision becoming blurry.

Vaatu stared deep into Korra's soul; seeing the darkness that was there. There was a lot of anger and misery…even some hatred. She wasn't the kind of girl normally chosen to be the Avatar; a being that was supposed to be pure and incorruptible. But… "I understand what you want. In return for my freedom, I must cooperate with you and Raava. You want to bring peace between two forces that have long since been at war. But your talents cannot hold me forever. If I refuse, I will eventually be free of this prison, and all I'll have lost is time."

"No, you'll have lost everything. Necros, a man born with your power stuck inside him is planning to destroy everything, and he's on the verge of succeeding." Korra said, panting as the pain in her chest reached a near unbearable level. "My uncle had the right idea when he wanted to bring balance by creating a Dark Avatar, but his mistake was thinking it would be a replacement. Dark and Light needs to be together! You can't have one without the other. Enter a human vessel and keep balance between light and darkness alongside Raava and her own vessel. Isn't it better for both to have half, than for one to have everything and the other to have nothing?"

The Divine Spirit of Darkness looked between Korra, Azun and Jinora, seeing varied reactions. Korra believed wholeheartedly in her words, and while the boy and young girl were not as convinced; they had faith in her.

"Very well." Vaatu said, his markings forming a smirk. "I will take a vessel. I see truth when you say that without my power; this world will end. Despite how bitter it is to say it, Raava has beaten me at every turn. So if victory is impossible; partnership may be an acceptable compromise."

Korra's face lit up and she smiled brightly. "That's great! Ugh!" the girl yelped as the pain intensified, and she had to swallow a tide of blood that had tried to escape her throat. "Azun, I hate to ask you, but will you be his vessel?"

Azun paused for a moment, but in the end, who was he to grant his debtor her request? The boy moved to nod, but Vaatu refused. "NO! I do not want this boy as a vessel. He is a match burning at both ends! On one side is the fire that creates a brilliant mind, but on the other is the dark flames which nip at his heels and threaten to consume him. I want nothing to do with a human that could kill himself any minute for an agenda he refuses to share. If I am to have a vessel, it must be a human I respect! You, will do nicely; Dark Avatar Korra."

"Me? But I-"

"I will not accept anyone else." Vaatu said, the smirk clear in his voice. "You've not only beaten me, but you've also offered to SAVE me. You've impressed me. If you want Light and Darkness to work side by side, they will do so with you as the medium! That is the only agreement I will make!"

Raava departed Jinora's body entirely; returning to the young girl back to an ordinary airbender, and began to fly around both Vaatu and Korra. "Korra, I will not refuse you if you ask me to do this, but having TWO Divine spirits will be the same for you as having two elements is for Azun. You'll survive just fine, but if you attempt to use both powers at once, or switch between us, you'll suffer excessive damage as a penance. It won't kill you as we'd be immortal…but it would still be painful. I recommend taking in the power you wish to be dominant first."

"Dominant? I want you both to be equal! It would be pointless otherwise." Korra argued, but Vaatu hushed her.

"We'd still be equal in power, as Raava and I would exchange raw power so we were both the same level. Being the dominant power within you just means we are the one you get your common powers from." He explained.

Azun smiled, "So for me, dominant is fire and secondary is shadow. Using the dominant element is safe, but using the secondary element, or both at the same time is dangerous."

"But that won't matter." Jinora smiled, looking happier than she had done in a long time. "If Raava and Vaatu even out their powers, won't that make Necros and Silver equal in power too? Necros will get a lot weaker and Silver will get a lot stronger!"

Vaatu moved his eye up and down like a nod. "The child is right."

Korra smiled, glad to have resolved the problem. Her strength was almost gone, but she had to make sure of one last thing… "Vaatu, even though I'm asking you for help, I need your word that you won't try any of your old stunts."

"I've lost to you Avatars twice. With Wan, it was because I was alone against human AND Divine, which has proven to be stronger; but with you, I was beaten because you are stronger than Unalaq. I may not be a Good Spirit, but I respect strength; and even though you are on the verge of death; you still speak with conviction and pride! If it is you, I will agree to serve beside Raava. I will make a Spirit's Oath with you; I want to see how this new era will turn out. So long as I am given the proper respect and power; I will work as your partner. NOT your subordinate."

Korra threw back her fist and smashed the crystal with her earthbending; fully releasing Vaatu before he had a chance to make the actual Oath, showing her faith in him. Vaatu and Raava exchanged silent looks; deciding to leave their own talks for later. Countless years of war and aggression weren't going to vanish just because they decided on a ceasefire, but at least old wounds would be given the chance to heal. The two spirits flew around each other in a spiral, going higher and higher above the small altar of land before dive bombing onto Korra, with Raava just a fraction of an inch from Vaatu as they entered her body.

Immediately, Korra's body began to pulsate. The newly reborn Avatar felt her muscles fill with renewed strength, her heart beat became regular again as did her breathing. The patch of ice on her chest and back was melted away and the wound they kept sealed was regenerated; leaving Korra with a small scar on both her chest and back. It wasn't the most attractive scar in the world, but due to its placement and Korra's choice of clothing; it would rarely be seen. But even after being healed and rejuvenated; the greatest change had yet to occur. A flood of power, the level of which Korra had never experienced, began to flow within her; moving around her body and soul like a river. The power was different and yet familiar, and was split into two feelings; a warm, familiar and calm power, the one Korra was used to as the Avatar and the harsh, blazing hot and unknown power that Vaatu had within him.

These two forces, for a moment, raged against each other but slowly, Raava's power grew stronger and Vaatu's grew weaker until both feelings were the same level, and almost indistinguishable. The only difference Korra could find was that Vaatu's power felt more like hot iron poker, while Raava's was closer to a small but hot candle flame.

A ghostly purple image appeared over her body; resembling the markings that both Raava and Vaatu had, before vanishing; finally melding Korra and her two companions together.

"It's different in here than it was inside Unalaq. He felt tight and uncomfortable, but this is…less tight and uncomfortable, but still a bit annoying." Vaatu said, speaking directly to Korra's mind. "I'm guessing you've seen that boy use his Bending Shift to switch elements before, right? Just do the same thing if you want to use my power, but remember that it will hurt."

"Thank you Vaatu. I'm glad I've gotten the chance to create a real balance, rather than just suppressing the rowdier side of it." Korra smiled.

Azun and Jinora both sighed and exchanged looks. "A few minutes ago, she was dead on the floor and we had no hope of winning. A lot can change with these people…" Azun smirked.

"Life is really exciting with Team Avatar! I can't wait until I'm old enough to join properly." Jinora cheered. Korra smirked at her and Han bowed his head to the Avatar.

"Everyone, I'm going to use Mine and Raava's sacred soul to get us to where Necros is. It'll be a quick journey, but I won't be able to get you to safety once we arrive. If you want, I can take you both to safety now." Korra offered, activating the white flames of Sacred Soul: Okami.

Han went to stand by Azun. "I will stay with this man. I owe him for my actions as Fen."

Azun smirked. "Then I hope you don't mind, but I plan on throwing myself into this battle. I won't be able to forgive myself if Korra gets seriously hurt because I wasn't there to help."

"I want to help too!" Jinora declared. "My mom and dad put a lot of faith in me by letting me come here…plus…" the young airbender thought back to a conversation that she had with Korra's mother, Senna a few hours before Necros arrived at their home…

"I want to help my daughter…I caused her a lot of trouble when I couldn't stop Necros before, and that mistake is also why you have to bear the burden of being an Avatar. Please, I know she's stubborn and can cause a lot of trouble; but please do whatever you can to help her! even it means forcing her to run away from an imminent defeat…I beg you; save her where I couldn't. It's a lot to ask of a child, but it's all I can do for Korra as her mother…"

Senna's words had burned into her mind just how dangerous this all was and just how much everyone trusted her just by letting her take part. "I'm going with you Korra. I'll help you no matter what! For all the help you gave me!"

Korra smiled warmly and hugged both Jinora and Azun, as well as petting Han affectionately. "Okay then. Both of you get on Han's back; with Okami's flames, I can let you move at the speed of light but only for a few seconds, which is all we'll need."

The three nodded and Azun clambered onto Han's back; hiding the pain and fatigue from his own battle as he helped Jinora up as well. Carefully, Korra focused on the flames which covered her body and transferred it via touch to Han, who's legs were covered in the white flames and the rest of his body, along with Azun and Jinora, was coated in a pale gold aura. With the flames in place, Korra reshaped her own flames into wings, just as she had in her battle with Vaatu, and then the group took off; flying rapidly through the still open portal and up, out of the Circle of Betrayal; straight upward through the hole in the Circle of Limbo that was created by Kye and Necros' clash.

With barely a sound, both Korra and Han landed on in the centre of the Dead Man's Court; faced with a war zone. Silver, Sonata and Yami were all lying unconscious or badly injured beside Mako, Tahno and Bolin, while Kye desperately fought against Necros.

Kye had the upper hard, smashing the sword of her sister against Necros' armoured claws, but the man was not going to be beaten easily in the Necropolis…but Korra's appearance changed all that. The Flames of Okami rejuvenated and awoke Silver; the only unconscious immortal, and she joined the others in their stunned stares as she saw who had awoken her.

"KORRA!?" she yelled, ignoring her injuries and running to Korra, hugging her tightly as the younger girl smiled shyly.

"Sorry that I worried you…" she whispered.

"Oh Korra…" Silver looked the girl in the eye, crying softly. "I was so scared…so scared I'd never get to see you again. I thought you'd died! How did you survive?"

"It's a long story but Tensa helped. I have the power to beat Necros now! You and the others can rest!" Korra smiled.

Silver nodded. "I can sense it…even now, I can sense what you've done. I won't question you right now, but I will trust you."

"Kye, you can stop fighting! Korra's going to finish this." The kami called, stunning both Kye and Necros, who were too wrapped up in their battle to notice.

Kye was about to sigh with relief when Necros suddenly kicked her away and lunged at Korra; his black flaming hand colliding with the young woman's white flaming one. "I killed you…I definitely destroyed you!" he seethed.

Korra smirked. "I got better."

Necros' anger intensified, but before he could properly retaliate, he felt his hand begin to burn. "The last time we clashed like this, you burnt me. Looks like my fire is hotter than yours now! I can defeat you easily, and with your own powers too!" Korra smirked.

Necros growled. "So, you even went and freed Vaatu to fight me? You must have been desperate. I was wondering why my powers got weaker a few minutes ago. No matter! I'll still crush you! You've brought Jinora right to me and with her, I can corrupt you and Yami and have you both lay siege to the Human and Spirit Worlds. You've set me back, but you haven't beaten me!"

Without warning, the man pushed himself away from Korra and flipped onto his hands so he could use a spinning kick to knock her back, giving him the opportunity he needed to pull water from his hidden water skins and attempt to corrupt Jinora. Just as Necros got the water to form a ring around the girl; a giant White tiger suddenly jumped out of her body and slashed Necros with its claws; splattering his water on the ground along with the Necromancer's blood.

"Byakko!" Jinora cheered, stroking the giant tiger.

Korra giggled. "Even though Jinora had the powers of the Avatar, she still brought Byakko with her… I haven't seen that fur ball for a while."

Byakko turned and lowered her head towards Korra. "Ah, Korra, I'm glad you're alive. You were the cause of a big emotional shift in Jinora. But I can sense Lady Raava within you; even stronger than she was before."

"Save the chit chat for later, we need to beat this guy now!" Yami yelled, her wounds slowly healing, but still not allowing her to move. "We've got to make a choice; steal his powers completely with Silver's technique and then let them both die, or use me to kill him and Ophi."

"What!?" Korra yelled. "I thought the plan was to save Ophi!"

"I tried to break their bond already…while you were dead." Sonata said, clearly depressed by the situation. "The piece of Necros' soul that he stuck inside her has been combined with her so tightly that I can't cut it away. If Necros dies, there is roughly a one in ten chance that she'll survive the shock."

Korra frowned and looked at Necros, who was pulling himself out of the wall he had crashed through; the claw marks on his face slowly healing. "Either way, Ophi will definitely die if I can't separate her from Necros' body. I'll try and break his Anima Aes Form. Once he's down, we'll make the final decision."

Necros growled. "Don't underestimate me!" he roared, lunging at Korra.

Out of instinct, Korra raised her arms to craft a sword of ice with which to defend herself, but she found the crystalline structure that appeared was not ice, but light…just like Jinora's lightbending. The surprise was enough to almost allow Necros to hit her, but Korra reacted just in time; blocking him and actually cutting his armoured hands.

"What the heck was that!?" she yelled as Necros backed off, healing his wound.

"I could never allow Silver or the Avatars to Lightbend because I didn't have the strength…Jinora was able to because she was using the power of Light Spirits while I was with her. Now that Vaatu and I have an equal level of power, I can finally grant you this ability!" Raava explained, her voice full of a happiness Korra had yet to hear from the ancient Spirit.

"So I lightbent on instinct?" Korra muttered.

Necros growled and faced his opponent. "Lightbending…no normal element would have pierced my armoured hands. Fine; I killed you once and I WILL DO IT AGAIN!"

Korra raised her light crystal blade and slashed at Necros, making him duck beneath her and aim his claws at her gut. The white flames that covered Korra's body burnt him as he attempted to touch her, but he pushed through the pain and stabbed Korra with four fingers.

Korra muffled a scream at the pain, but the two Divines within her would not allow her to die, so she flipped her sword around and stabbed it down; piercing through Necros' forearm. From this position, it was a simple matter to slide her sword, cutting the forearm clean off. The Necromancer roared in pain and anger, punching Korra in the head with his intact hand. The blow didn't hurt much, as it was a desperate swing, but it was forceful enough to unbalance Korra. For seemingly no reason, her light blade shattered and Necros took this chance to swing at her with his claws. Korra raised her arms to protect herself; bearing the claws and backing away from the man's reach.

"Ow! What happened? Why'd my blade break?" Korra asked, waterbending to heal herself.

"Lightbending is very difficult. If you lose focus for even a second; everything you have made with it will shatter. Your focus can turn your constructs from diamond to glass in an instant." Raava warned.

Korra nodded in understanding and remained where she was; watching Necros as he healed his lost arm. The man had regained some semblance of sanity after she "died" but now he was becoming even worse than before. His growling and snarling, his posture and bared teeth…he was more like an animal than a human.

"I don't understand…" he growled, standing up but remaining hunched over, like he was about to attack. "Everything around you Korra…it's all gone to hell! It was perfect; you were handed to me on a plate when you were just four years old! It was easy to slowly replace or convert the White Lotus into my own Black Lotus. It was easy to have you trained and isolated exactly as I wanted…"

Without warning, Necros suddenly attacked, slashing at Korra with his healed arm and punching with his other. "I had you raised to be my pawn!"

Korra ducked beneath his punch and threw one of her own, but he avoided it like a snake. "But you eluded me."

Necros slashed with his claws. "I captured you and had Tarrlok in my employ!"

Korra blocked the claws with a wall of earth, then threw a fist full of fire in his face. "But you escaped and turned Tarrlok to your side!"

He turned the ground beneath Korra black as he bent it like a catapult; flinging the girl back, but she was able to earthbend a ledge out of the wall for her to cling onto and jump off. "I enslaved your mind with my power and turned you to my will!"

Korra jumped into the air and used her instincts to produce a rain of crude light daggers; each hitting the ground and shattering, with only a few sticking in Necros' head and shoulders. "But you regained your mind and continued to deny me!"

The mad man pulled a light dagger from his own shoulder, ignoring the way it repelled against him, burning his flesh, and charged at Korra with it. "I EVEN KILLED YOU!" he roared, as he leapt and tried to do a falling stab, right into Korra's neck. Korra rolled to the side, making Necros land awkwardly.

"But no matter what I did, you always came back…"

Necros, looking more and more like a truly broken man, didn't move as he hit the ground. Vaatu spoke in Korra's mind, whispering instructions. Necros was struggling with his own mind; he was no longer a threat, but that would change fast. Korra needed to act.

Obeying Vaatu's instructions, Korra placed her fists together in the same way that Avatars did when they entered the Avatar State, but this time, her eyes only flashed red for a second before she doubled over in pain. Korra gasped at the fire that spread through her, and for several moments, she was paralysed. When the pain subsided enough, Korra was able to straighten up again. "If it hurts that much every time I switch to you Vaatu, I might not be doing it much."

"I couldn't care less. I don't like lending my power to you, it's just that you're the best option I have. Like Raava, I have the ability to give you Shadowbending while I'm active, but you won't have access to light or that Sacred Soul: Okami. Instead, you'll have a new Sacred Soul revolving around darkness. Try it, it may be useful here."

Korra nodded and focused in the same way she did when she used Okami, and to her surprise, her body was once again set aflame; but not by the usual white flames or orange flames; but by pure black fire.

No, it wasn't even fire. It was more like pure darkness that moved like fire. "What the heck is this?" Korra asked.

"Sacred Soul: Hades. Like Necros, you can use the power of the Necropolis, but it seems your Sacred Soul lets you summon the power of each circle yourself. A pretty handy power! Use the Ninth Circle or a similar one to bind him, so we can kill him easily." Vaatu said.

Korra frowned at his use of words, having grown to pity the man who had once been Silver's brother. Carefully, she directed the flames to cover the ground beneath Necros, and from it, unnatural ice encased him. "Ice from Fire…I'll be so glad once this is done." Silver frowned.

"Now what? Necros can't escape…right?" Mako asked, having regained consciousness just as Necros reached the apex of his earlier rant.

The whole group almost jumped out of their skin as the ice around Necros shattered and he pulled himself out, but Korra redoubled her efforts and froze him again; focusing all her Necropolis ice on his hands and feet. This time, it seemed to work, and the wild man was left to stare bitterly at Korra.

"So, Avatar AND Necromancer Korra…what are you going to do? Have Silver kill me, or Yami?" Necros said, knowing he'd lost.

Kye stepped forward and spoke in Korra's ear. "This may not seem like a big choice, but it is important. If Silver kills Necros by using her father's technique; there's a good chance Necros' power will drive her insane too and we'll have to kill her. the odds are roughly one in five."

"But if I ask Yami, there's a one in ten chance that Ophi will die from the shock caused by her bond. I've got to choose between a one on ten chance of an innocent child dying or a one in five chance of one of my best friends dying? I don't even want Necros to die! There has to be another option!" Korra yelled.

"Sacrifices have to be made Korra. It's a brutal part of life, but sometimes one being has to die so another may live." Kye said.

Yami overheard this part and acted. "Sister, if Silver kills him her way, It won't spare Ophi. If I do this, it will mean that at most, Necros and Ophi die together. If Silver does this, then all three of them might die! It's safer for everyone if I do this!"

"Wait!" Korra yelled. "While I was still under his control, he taught me about the Spirit's Crucible; the Spiritual Firebending technique that can recreate people or erase bad aspects. Couldn't we use that?"

"I thought of the same thing years ago, but the technique has a limit. It has a maximum temporal range of one hundred years." Silver explained.

Korra, Mako, Azun and Jinora looked at each other before looking back at Silver with blank expressions. "It means it can't erase aspects that are more than one hundred years old. You could erase everything about Necros that came about in the last century, but his madness and evil desires stretch back ten thousand years. We'd need a hundred Firebenders skilled enough to use the technique, and even if there were that many in the world, which there aren't, we'd still need them all to be here." Kye explained.

"Actually, I have a way." Vaatu said, floating freely out of Korra. "We Divines have full and extensive knowledge of every Sacred Soul we've ever been part of, which is how we teach them to our vessels. After entering Korra with Raava at my side, I've discovered that it is possible for TWO Divines to combine their power into ONE Sacred Soul."

"Meaning Korra would have Okami, Hades and the third, combined one?" Yami asked.

"Yes. Similar things exist with that Ophi girl, and the infant over there." Vaatu pointed his tail at Joewe, who slept beside Tahno. "Those girls possess a portion of a Divine's power via their master's soul. This gives them a weak, but usable Sacred Soul, like that of an incomplete Kami. But this weaker sacred soul can be used by their masters as well."

"Something like that happened during my fight with Sozin, but what does that change about our current situation?" Kye asked.

Before Vaatu could speak, Raava too emerged from Korra. "The combined power we give Korra is named Sacred Soul: Takamagahara."

"Taka-Maka-what?" Mako said, unable to properly comprehend the word.

"Takamagahara. It's complicated, but the gist of it is that it allows the user to perform one technique with all restrictions removed; at two heavy costs. One is that it puts incredible strain on the user; which on top of the pain it would cause Korra to use both of us at once, would likely but her out of action for weeks." Raava explained.

"I can handle that. But what's the second cost?" Korra asked.

"A Human Life…or that of a Spirit. Humans give off huge amounts of energy when they die, and Spirits do the same when they are reborn into the human world. This technique harnesses it; but the process is just as painful for them as it is for Korra." Vaatu said, his markings forming a small smirk. "We can save Ophi, Necros AND Silver…but at the cost of someone else's life."

Korra's face fell into a devastated look. "So no matter what we do…even with all the power we have…someone still has to die?"

"Life is the most valuable thing in this world. Power, wealth, love and family is all worthless without life to give it meaning. Silver's plan is out of the question, as it would be a needlessly risky loss. We can either accept one person's death to guarantee the lives of Necros and Ophi, or risk Ophi to make sure Necros dies. We have no choice." Kye frowned. It was a hard lesson, but one Korra had to learn.

"I can't ask someone else to do it…what if I do it? Offer my soul to power it and save Necros and Ophi?" Korra asked.

"It won't work. If you're dead, we can't use the Sacred Soul." Raava reminded her.

Korra frowned, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "Jinora could take you and Vaatu. I came here willing to die anyway, so I don't mind!"

"Korra, you are grasping at straws. You know that two people will never have the same Sacred Soul. Even if we did enter Jinora, she would not have Takamagahara which would render it all useless! You are not a child…it was not a child that beat me! Now wipe your eyes and make the decision. Someone has to die; choose who!" Vaatu yelled.

The young Avatar suppressed a sob and wiped her eyes. "There is no one to use…no one I'd even be willing to lose. Necros, I'm sorry; but I can't save you. I thought for a moment that I could, but it was a false hope."

Necros looked at Korra and smiled wildly, throwing his head back and laughing uproariously. "HA! Even after all that, you wanted to save me? To make me what I was before Vaatu was sealed? Sorry kid, but it's gonna take a heck of a miracle to glue this mind back together. I spent all these years planning my own death in the final moments of this world. Looks like I won't be seeing the end after all. Yami, put the girl out of her misery; put me down!"

Yami nodded and picked up her sword. "At least in the end, you show some honour."

"Well, I learnt from watching somebody else." He smirked, winking at Korra.

Korra looked away and Silver closed her eyes; unwilling to watch her brother die. She tried to rationalise that he had died many years before…but it didn't dull the pain. Yami whispered a prayer and Kye looked away as her sister plunged her sword forward.

The next few moments flew by in a blur.

There was a flash of light…a splatter of blood on the floor and on Yami's face…a childish scream…and a cry of pain.

Kye whirled around to see what had happened, and slowly she pieced together what had happened. The scream was Jinora, the flash of light was Ophi expelling herself from Necros…and the cry of pain and splatter of blood were from the little girl who had thrown herself on Yami's blade in an attempt to save her master, and the only loved one she had.

"OPHI!" Necros roared as the girl hung there, impaled on Yami's sword. The shock of the moment cleared from the sword wielding woman and she dropped it, screaming in shock and despair. In moments, Korra was on the small girl, carefully working to heal Ophi while Kye comforted Yami, whom was nearly catatonic. Sonata could do nothing but cover her mouth in shock and Mako covered Jinora's ears, forcing her to look at him so she wouldn't see the scene before her.

Azun took one good look at Ophi's stab wound and closed his eyes bitterly. He ran a hand through Han's fur and felt his quiet whimpering. "There's no saving her. the sword went through her heart… it's even worse than the stab wound Korra took." He muttered. He meant the words for himself, but Azun's voice carried to the others. Mako only looked away pityingly, hugging Jinora and lightly stroking her back to calm her. It wasn't the first time the boy had seen someone die…but that was a small comfort.

Kye, unable to calm Yami, gently knocked her out with a small electrical current to her neck. Sonata, seeing Kye care for her sister, went to look after Joewe, who awoke in tears from all the noise. Korra pulled the sword from Ophi's small body, and a brief look confirmed Azun's words.

"I-I can't heal this. She's losing too much blood; I can't heal it fast enough." Korra muttered. Tears threatened to spill from Korra's eyes, and a small hand on hers made them overflow. Young Ophi smiled faintly, even as life began to fade from her eyes.

"P-Please don't kill Master…he's not all bad. He was nice to me…he was…he…" The Girl's voice began to trail off, and her eyelids became heavy. Korra, Necros, Kye and the others all watched as they closed…for good.

"Ophi?" Necros said, unwilling to believe what he was seeing. "OPHI!?"

The ice that bound him shattered, and Necros fell to his knees, desperately crawling to Ophi's side. "OPHI!? Come on, don't play with me! You're not dead…you can't be! Not you…you were supposed to be with me until the end!"

Korra watched sombrely as Necros slowly came to the full realisation of what had just happened. He knelt there, shaking his head desperately, but then he began waterbending to try and heal Ophi and charging his hands like a make shift defibrillator. He angrily pounded at the ground and clawed at his eyes until they were a bloody mess. When they healed, after a tense five minutes of silence, Korra's heart was completely broken when the man that had been her enemy since the Equalist incident…fell on Ophi's body and openly wept. The child's corpse began to glow, reacting to Necros' touch and slowly, it disappeared.

"What's happening?" Korra asked, speaking in a monotone as she watched the child disappear into tiny balls of light.

"Ophi was an Anima Deus. Her body was half-human, half-spirit. Like a Spirit, her body must disappear into light when she dies." Kye said, choosing to keep her sadness hidden behind a face of strength.

Mako frowned and gently passed the quietly sobbing Jinora to Azun before going over to Kye. "You're the goddess of Life, right? Do you know what's going to happen to Ophi? Where she'll go?"

Kye shook her head. "Anima Deus are considered immoral creations because they only have one life. They are forever linked to another person, so they won't die of old age, but otherwise they are quite fragile. Ophi is a little different, but most Anima Deus just…vanish. Their souls cease to exist…or so it is said. If she still exists somewhere, I don't know where or in what form."

Mako bit his lip and clenched his fists. "Damn it… she was just a kid!"

Necros looked up and gave Mako a strange, desperate look. "Why do you all care about her? You tried to save her but I don't understand why." He asked.

"She was an innocent. She was a child…do I need any other reasons to care?" Mako said, his words reflected in the eyes of the others. They all felt the same, leaving Necros dumbstruck.

"huh…it's strange. All the voices went quiet. I can only hear myself. I guess this is clarity." He joked darkly. With one final desperate look, Necros turned to Korra. "Kill me."

Korra gritted her teeth and stood up. Quickly, she slapped Necros hard across the face and then grabbed him by the collar, forcing the man to look her in the eye. "Are you deaf?" Korra asked seriously. "Ophi's last request was for me to spare you. if you think I'm going to kill you after that, then you've got another thing coming."

Necros shook his head. "You're so full of ideals and dreams. Just like every Childish Avatar, you want to save everyone without losing anything. Well you can't. It isn't your fault, but you can't save me and you couldn't save Ophi. It's all out of your control, no matter how much power you have. It's funny…my chest hurts so much…like Ophi tore a hole in it when she died. I wanted to destroy myself and everyone else just so I could stop anyone from feeling that again. You already know that for this to end, someone needs to die."

Korra growled, but she knew he was right. She had to kill Necros, or have Silver use her technique to take his power…or sacrifice another soul for Takamagahara.

"No." Korra fell backward; sitting on the ground and gripping her head tightly. "That's enough…no more death, no more dying!"

"You knew what you were signing up for when you took on the mantle of both Raava and myself." Vaatu said coolly. "Sometimes ideals are just ideas…and dreams don't always come true. Choose his fate…end this misery."

"You will use Takamagahara to save him." A voice said, as a small Spectre ran into the room with a human man behind him.

"Father?" Silver muttered, recognising Qilin. "What are you doing here?"

"I am making things right. It was my sins that cursed Silver with an unhappy life, and my son with his madness. I caused all this; allow me to use my soul for Takamagahara." He said.

Silver grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close, threateningly igniting one of her fists in azure flames. "Where the hell were you a few minutes ago! Ophi is…"

"She's dead!? But…I went to get Qilin as soon as I heard about Takamagahara. I knew he wanted to fix things and thought he'd be a good sacrifice! He even consented!" the spectre said, his skeletal face clearly disappointed.

Silver's expression softened and she threw Qilin to the ground before turning back to Necros and Korra. "Korra. My dad is an evil bastard of a man…but if he really wants to die to atone, I think we should let him."

"Are you both sure? He's a spirit so if I use this, he'll be reincarnated as something else right? You may never have a chance to talk to him again." Korra said, frowning.

Necros looked away. "I have nothing to say."

"Me neither." Silver added.

Qilin looked between his son and his daughter, a bemused smile on his face as he did so. "Miss Korra. I take it that it was you and your friends that made Silver happy again, correct?"

"Um, I guess so…"

"Good. I appreciate your concern; but I think those two have said all they are going to. The things I did to both of them are horrible, so this is all I can do to atone. Necros is an evil, sinister monster; a true son to his twisted father. But Will is a kind hearted boy and the kind of man that this world needs. He is the son that his mother deserved, and the brother that his sister deserves. Use my soul to fuel Takamagahara and the Spirit's Crucible; restore him to the man he was born to be." Qilin asked, swallowing all his pride and bowing to Korra. "I won't ask forgiveness to either Silver or Will…because I do not deserve it."

Korra smiled sadly and put a hand on his back. "I understand. Silver may not act like it, but I know she appreciates this. Thank you for helping me fulfil Ophi's last wish."

Qilin did not say another word and simply smiled; feeling the weight of his sins slowly floating away. Korra stood up straight and closed her eyes; slamming her fists together in order to switch Divines from Vaatu to both Vaatu AND Raava. The pain that spread through the girl's body was intense, but dulled by Korra's mind. She had time for only one thought, and it wasn't pain. It was hope.

Following her instincts, she activated Sacred Soul: Takamagahara and pulled Qilin's soul from his thrall host; causing the host to return to normal and fall unconscious. The man's soul took the form of a small black flame, but a flicker of white could be seen inside it. Using this soul as if it was fire, Korra bent it into a ring around Necros, who simply closed his eyes and cried silently for his lost friend. The flames engulfed his body and Korra focused; seeing the very moment in Will's memories where he became Necros. All the regret, anger, sorrow, hatred, misery and rage that had been permeating from his spirit since the day Necros came into being flowed back into Korra and burned away in the flames of the Spirit's Crucible.

The flames of the crucible vanished and both Korra and Necros fell backward; unconscious. Silver quickly checked on Korra and noticed that she had passed out from the pain of the Takamagahara, but had otherwise been unharmed by the process. Everyone sighed with relief when they heard Silver say "She's fine."

They began to get up, ready to return home after the long mess of a war, when Silver noticed the last of Korra's flames disappear from Necros' body. She took one look at the mess of long white hair, and smiled through tear filled eyes.

EPILOGUE

Book 3: Wrath

Seven days passed as Team Avatar recovered at the Avatar Bridge. During the Necropolis battles, some of the Black Lotus had attempted to invade The Avatar Bridge while Necros was away, but Team Avatar, Lin's Police Officers and the rest of Korra's allies defeated them swiftly and arrested them; handing them over to their home countries to punish as they saw fit.

Korra, Silver, Kye, Yami, Sonata, Mako, Tahno, Bolin and Jinora slept for at least two days each after their return; all of them too tired from fighting and the rapid change of emotions that had taken place towards the end of the battle. Korra being dead, her return as the vessel of Raava and Vaatu, her defeat of Necros, the decision on who to save and who to let die, the fall of Ophi and the final purification of Necros and Fen were all relayed to the rest of Team Avatar by Azun, whom took a page from Tarrlok and Eska, and took the Spirit that once possessed him as an ally; something Han was most appreciative of.

When Kye and Yami awoke, they talked through Ophi's passing, and Yami accepted that there was nothing she could have done for the child. Yami did not dwell on it, and instead used it to strengthen her resolve to save as many lives as possible in all fights, and to avoid killing in all cases.

Mako watched over Tahno and Bolin, and as Necros' power began to fade; he stood beside Asami as they gave their final goodbyes to their enthralled parents, with Tensa giving them one final favour by personally taking their spirits back to the Spirit World and giving them a place to live within it. Mako's parents and Asami's mother gave them their love and best wishes, and promised to see them again after the teens had experienced a long and full life.

Senna and Tonraq remained in the infirmary at almost all times, watching over Korra and Silver, as well as their newest "guest".

And so, after seven long days, Korra finally awoke; being the last of them to do so. The gentle warmth and light of the Boundary's fake sun warmed the tired girl and slowly brought her back to the waking world. Korra got up slowly and flexed her muscles and legs, making sure everything was fine. She was wearing one of her mother's night gowns, which was a bit too small, but covered her well enough, so Korra wasn't too bothered. She was a little surprised to find that she wasn't alone in the infirmary either; three men were there too, and Korra recognised them.

In the bed beside her, Bolin was lying on his stomach, watching Korra with a small smirk and beside him on another bed was Tahno; his arms and legs lightly bandages.

"Guys! You're okay!" Korra cheered, jumping over Bolin to sit between their beds.

"Hehe yeah, we are. Kya did a lot to heal us, but we'd be in trouble if it weren't for him." Bolin said, pointing at the third man.

Korra looked at this man, whom she recognised. The man was young, but clearly older than Azun and the other teenagers; in his early twenties by the look of him. His eyes were a deep, sky blue and his hair was messy and pure white. He was wearing plain white shorts and a matching shirt; resembling hospital clothes. He sat by the window; his back towards it as he read a book, though Korra's awakening had taken his attention.

"You…you're Will, aren't you?" Korra asked, seeing a lot of both Silver AND Qilin in the man's face.

"Ah, yes, I am. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of examining your body, as well as theirs. I'm quite skilled in bending the human body, so healing Tahno's ice burns and Bolin's broken spine wasn't too much trouble. You were unhurt, aside from a scar on your chest and a rather severe case of spiritual exhaustion." Will smiled. His voice was just like Necros', but quieter and more refined. This was the man that Silver often spoke fondly of…the man that he was always supposed to be, before the Necros incident.

"Thank you for helping them. Um, this may sound rude, but do you know what happened before? Did Silver talk to you?" Korra asked.

Will nodded slightly. "Silver explained to a degree. She said that I was under some kind of evil curse that took my mind from me. I don't know much more than that. The others in this place weren't very trusting of me, but I think I've helped win them over a bit."

Just then, the door swung open and Senna walked in with Silver, Tenzin and Jinora behind her. "Korra! You're awake!" Senna smiled, running to hug her daughter. "Silver told us everything. I am so proud of you!"

"Mom…" Korra said, nuzzling closer to her mother. "I'm glad that's over. Is dad here?"

"Tonraq was forced to go back to the South Pole just yesterday. Chief business; don't worry though, we've been keeping in touch." Tenzin smiled. "I wanted to thank you as well, Korra. Jinora told me that you did a lot to protect her."

"I didn't do that much. Jinora did more for me, than I did for her." Korra smirked, noticing Jinora's faint blush.

"Indeed…but what you did for me, dwarfs all of it." Silver said, looking briefly at her brother. Her face fell for a moment and she leaned close to whisper in Korra's ear. "He doesn't remember much of anything from the last ten thousand years. He had no idea that he was Necros…or about Ophi."

Korra frowned. "What…what are we going to do about that?"

Silver bit her lip and turned to Will. "Brother, Kye is still talking to Yami and Tensa, so Pema is left with the other children. Do you think you could help her out? Two kids and two babies are a lot for one woman."

Will seemed to get what Silver wanted and simply smiled and closed his book. "Korra, thank you for saving me. I look forward to getting to know the girl that put a smile on my sister's face again."

Korra nodded warmly and Will patted her head before walking out the door, leaving the others to discuss what was going to happen. "Right then. First off, as far as the world is concerned; Necros is dead. No one but the Divines and Team Avatar knew about Necros being Will, so he is safe. We decided that since Will is neither aware of what he did as Necros, or what trouble he caused, that we'd leave him ignorant. As far as he knows, he was just kept prisoner by him, which isn't strictly untrue."

"He mentioned that you guys didn't like him." Korra replied worriedly.

"Those of us who weren't there in the Necropolis had trouble trusting him. We knew he was insane at the time and that he isn't the same person anymore, but we were still worried. I think he sensed it and is doing everything he can to please us…" Tenzin said, sounding a bit guilty.

Korra frowned. "Necros is gone, but even so, his shadow still lingers. I want to help him."

"We know. Team Avatar talked it over, and after all you risked to help him, we aren't going to turn our backs on either of you." Tenzin said. "Necros was a demon; now he's dead. That's all there is to it. Will still has all the bending powers he had as Necros, and the Divine Spirits have allowed him to keep them; saying that they trust you to keep an eye on him. It turns out that Will isn't as good at fighting as Necros, but he is a pretty amazing healer." Tenzin smiled.

"Right. I'm glad you all trust him now. The only thing still bugging me is…Ophi." Korra frowned. "Her body vanished, so we can't give her a proper burial."

"Yami and Sonata already carved a memorial stone for her and erected it in the flower gardens outside the bridge's main building. You can visit if you'd like." Silver said. "Also, Tensa is leaving. He said that you didn't need to thank him, and that he looked forward to seeing which of you could make a better world first. In fact, if I'm sensing it right, Kye and him just ran off. I'm guessing she's going to try hunting him down."

Korra giggled. "Every time we see Kye, she runs off after some black haired guy. She'll be back for Joewe soon. I'm going to go change and…pay my respects to Ophi."

Silver and the others nodded, smiling sympathetically. Korra walked slowly from the infirmary to her own room in Team Avatar's residential tower, and on the way, she checked in with Raava and Vaatu. Raava was her usual calm self, and simply reassured Korra that she would always be on her side. Vaatu was more…aggressive, and made her promise that she'd beat Tensa in building a new world.

"I hate losing! If I find out I picked the losing vessel, I'll be angry." He threatened, though Korra knew he wouldn't do anything. Korra reached her room and changed into her usual outfit, before walking out to the gardens.

At the far end of the expanse of grass was the meadow; a place dotted with many different kinds of flowers. It was truly a beautiful place, and in the centre was a tall oak tree with a stone tablet at its base. Korra sat before the stone and smiled sadly.

The stone read;

"Ophi, the tiny light that illuminated the darkest night. May you rest forever in the dawn."

There was a sullen silence as Korra read those words. A spot of soil in front of the memorial was damp, evidence of the tears of those who had come here before. Silver quietly approached Korra, putting a hand on the kneeling girl's shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah... But something has me thinking. Back before Necros killed me, he said that Ophi couldn't die so long as he was alive. But that didn't turn out to be true."

Silver frowned. "Maybe it was a lie. Maybe losing some of Vaatu's power weakened Necros enough that their bond was damaged. We can't really know for sure, but Ophi is gone. There is no changing that."

Korra sighed, turned back to the tablet and bowed her head, offering her prayers to the Spirit of the little girl. "I couldn't save you…for that, I am really, truly sorry. But I'll keep my promise to you and protect Will. Even if it kills me, I will protect him!"

The light of the sun became brighter, and the young Avatar looked up and chuckled, realising what time it was. "Huh…it's Dawn."

XOXOXOX

Deep beneath Republic City…

"So, have we got what we need?"

A young man looked up at the older woman looking over his shoulder. "I got what I was asked to. The Girl was easy to find, since the Necropolis gods always turn up in the same places when they're reborn."

"No need to be snippy; remember who is in charge." The woman scolded.

"Shut the hell up. We both know that the guy who was in charge is dead, so don't fool around with me."

A younger girl, around the same age as the young man, stepped up and gently put a hand on his shoulder. "We shouldn't be fighting. W-We just need to focus on our mission; the resurrection of Lord Necros!"

IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

This story is going on Hiatus.

Usually, I release new books with a month between them, but this time, I simply can't.

A mix of work, writing my novel and my ailing health has made it too stressful to keep a steady flow of chapters.

So, this book will be my last for the time being. i'd like to say i'll be back again soon, or that i'd finish the story, but i simply can't promise that.

I hope to return to this story one day soon, but for now, it won't be happening.

I'll still be available for those who want to message me and a friend of mine has been given permission to post some stories of her own here, so stuff will still be released in my name, just not for this or any of my old stories.