Venom of The Red Lotus - Part 2

Outside the cave, Korra lay unconscious on the edge of one of the stone pillars as Zaheer floated menacingly above her. 

"The poison has done its work. The Avatar Cycle will be over momentarily." He sneered  

Lifting Korra with airbending, Zaheer bent the air current to form a sphere around the Avatar's head and began to suffocate her, just as he had done to the Earth Queen and almost did to Azira. 

He narrowed his eyes in concentration when a gust of wind blew past him and he turned to see a large vortex approaching him.

Down below, Elira and the boys exited the cave, shielding themselves from the strong winds. 

"Jinora?" Elira muttered, seeing her little sister standing in the middle of the other airbenders bending the huge vortex above them. She smiled, a sense of pride washing over her before she quickly rushed over to help them. 

"Need a hand?" She smirked, joining her sister's side

Jinora smiled up at her before determination returned to her eyes "Aim the vortex towards Zaheer, we'll try and trap him inside it" 

Nodding, Elira raised her arms, bending out an air current and contributing to the vast swirling vortex. 

Above them, Korra, no longer trapped by Zaheer's bending, tumbled over before being lifted by the strong air current around her. 

Zaheer glared, flying out to grab Korra before she was lifted to safety and attempted to fly away with her. But the vortex's pull was too strong and Zaheer was slowly sucked into it, yelling as he accidentally dropped Korra. 

Not ready to give up, Zaheer grabbed Korra again and attempted to fly out of the vortex. But the strong wind currents around him prevented him from flying away. So after multiple failed attempts to escape, Zaheer decided to cut his losses and dropped Korra. He went to fly away, only for Korra's chain to flail up and catch him by the ankle. Glancing down, Zaheer stared in fear. Korra was awake, her eyes glowing white with fury. 

Korra dropped down the middle of the vortex, pulling Zaheer with her. Landing, she aggressively pulled the chain, flinging Zaheer down where he crashed into the ground with a heavy thud. 

The airbenders stopped creating the vortex, and the air currents settled and disappeared. Korra then cried out, the poison finally getting the better of her and she collapsed. 

"Korra!" Elira yelled, rushing over with Jinora by her side while the other airbenders looked on with worry. 

"Korra?... Can you hear me?" Elira called softly, holding her friend in her arms as behind her Suyin and Lin trapped Zaheer in an earth shell to prevent him from escaping again. Korra's eyes were open, still glowing the bright white of the Avatar state. But she didn't move, didn't utter a word. Tears built in Elira's eyes and she shook her head softly. 

Tonraq, Mako, Bolin and Asami run up to them. Elira released her hold on the avatar, letting Tonraq take his daughter gently in his arms. Elira backed up towards her friends, and Bolin wrapped an arm around her shoulder. 

"Korra. Sweetheart. It's me, Dad. Please hang on." Tonraq pleaded, gently stroking Korra's cheek. 

Korra's glowing eyes widened and she reached up to touch her father's face but fainted, her eyes closing as she slumped. Tears welled up in Tonraq's eyes.

Behind them, Zaheer cackles manically to himself. Lin glares at him. 

"What are you laughing about?" She snaps. 

"You're too late! The poison has been in her system too long. The Red Lotus has won!" Zaheer grinned maliciously. 

"You can save her!" Jinora declared, looking at Suyin "The poison is metallic!"

Suyin ran towards Korra and held her by the shoulder and forehead, feeling the poison inside her. Closing her eyes in concentration for a moment, she began to metalbend and pull the poison from Korra's limbs, while everyone looked on; worried. 

Finally, after a few agonisingly slow seconds, Korra's eyes snapped open, glowing white as she gasped and Suyin pulled the poison out of her mouth, causing her to cough and gasp for air. Suyin tossed the poison aside and it splashed on the ground away from everyone. 

Korra slumped in Tonraq's arms before weakly opening her eyes and smiling "Dad. You're alive. "

"I'm here for you. I'm never gonna let you go" Tonraq promised, hugging his daughter 

"No!" Zaheer yelled "No! You don't understand! The revolution has already begun" 

Elira rolled her eyes, turning to whisper to Bolin "Could you...?" 

"Chaos is the natural order of a-" Zaheer was cut off when Bolin shoved his sock into his mouth, gagging him. 

"See what I did there? I put a sock in it, literally" He grinned at Elira 

The airbender giggled "Classic Bolin." 

"I do what I do." Bolin wrapped an arm around Elira's shoulder again

Elira smiled and relaxed into his side. It was finally over. 

*

2 weeks had passed since Zaheer's defeat and a lot was changing. On Air Temple Island, the sun streamed through Elira's bedroom window, casting a warm glow over the chaos of hairpins and brushes sprawled across her desk. Bolin leaned against the room's doorframe, arms crossed and an amused grin plastered across his face. Pabu and Pichi were playing tug of war with the remains of the Bolin doll on Elira's bed, as the airbender in question sat at her desk with a handheld mirror popped up against the wall, her usual carefree spirit seemingly weighed down by the frustration bubbling inside her. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hand, but her newly short hair just wouldn't cooperate. 

"Come on, stupid hair. Just stay put!" she muttered to herself, tugging at her orange ribbon in an attempt to secure the rebellious strands. 

The bright colour was a reminder of happier days, but today, it felt like it was mocking her. No matter how hard she tried, the ribbon slipped from her grasp, leaving her hair in a messy heap. Her fingers tugged at the ends, but the short hair only bounced back defiantly. Bolin chuckled softly, unable to hold back the laughter at her increasingly desperate attempts. 

"Need a hand, El?" he asked, stepping into the room with a lighthearted bounce.

Elira shot him a glance, her expressive eyes reflecting a mix of annoyance and desperation. "Maybe... but you might not want to get involved with this disaster." She gestured at her hair, exhaling dramatically. 

"Hey, how hard can it be to style hair? Besides, I've got some tricks up my sleeve." Bolin replied playfully, strolling over.  

With a reluctant smile, Elira nodded. "Alright, but no promises that I won't throw this brush at you if you mess it up!" 

Bolin laughed as he stood behind her, picking up the hairbrush and gently running it through the short strands. 

"You know, I get it. Losing your long hair must feel like losing a part of you. But let's be real—short or long, you're still my beautiful El. That won't change." he whispered, focusing on carefully gathering the shorter strands into a half-ponytail. 

Elira's frown softened into a smile "You always know what to say to make me feel better" 

"What can I say? That's what best friends—and boyfriends—are for. I'm your shoulder to cry on, the bringer of joy on sad days, and the tamer of wild hair,  creating hairstyles perfect for any celebration! Especially ones including beloved little sisters!" 

Elira let out a light laugh as Bolin secured the orange ribbon in her hair with a flourish.

"Ta-da! What do you think?" Bolin announced, holding his arms out with a big grin as Elira looked at herself in the mirror. 

 Her eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and delight. Her short hair framed her face perfectly with a few of the front strands pulled back and held in place by the orange ribbon. 

 "It looks... actually kind of cute!" she laughed, her previous worries momentarily forgotten. "Maybe this short hair isn't the end of the world after all" 

"See?" Bolin said with a grin "Now, let's go show the world how proud you are of Jinora and your new look!" 

With a newfound spark in her eye, Elira stood up, her heart feeling a little lighter. "Yeah, let's do this!" 

In that moment, as the duo left the room hand-in-hand, Elira realised that no matter what life tossed her way, be it the Earth Queen and her Dai Li, or crazy fanatics threatening to plunge the world into chaos, as long as Bolin was by her side, she could face anything. The world might change, but their bond would always remain. Like a lighthouse guiding her through the storm.

*

Outside, many of the airbenders were already walking inside the temple while at the bottom of the steps Elira and Bolin were waiting along with a few others. Korra's parents and President Raiko. Elira's parents and three younger siblings, Ikki resting on Bolin's shoulders while Elira held Meelo in her arms. Suyin and Lin. Zuko, Shai, Ty Lee, Azula, Kiyi and Zira, who was now in a wheelchair. And Kya, Ursa and Bumi were also there. Bumi and Ursa had their arms in slings while Kya was leaning on a crutch. 

They watched with sad sympathetic frowns as Asami and Korra approached them. Korra looked exhausted and was confined to a wheelchair. Zuko, Shai, Ty Lee, Kiyi and Azula all bowed in respect for the Avatar. 

Korra nodded back before her mother ran up and hugged her. Korra gave a small smile, returning the embrace as Tonraq then knelt in front of her. 

"You look beautiful, sweetie," He said and kissed his daughter on the forehead. 

"You're looking stronger every day, Korra." Tenzin smiled 

"I'd like to officially welcome you back to Republic City"  President Raiko stepped forward, stopping in front of Korra "I know that the last time we saw each other, it didn't end on the best terms. But I want to thank you for taking down those Red Lotus terrorists" 

Korra didn't say anything and just looked down. 

"We should go inside," Asami said 

Ikki then jumped down from Bolin's shoulders, prompting Meelo to wiggle his way out of Elira's arms. 

"I can help" Ikki smiled, standing beside Asami, one hand on Korra's wheelchair handle. 

"I want to ride with Korra" Meelo leapt onto Korra's lap who held onto him smiling "Jinora's already inside. Smells like shoe trees. "

"It's sandalwood, Meelo." Elira corrected as Asami wheeled Korra to the foot of the stairs

"I got this" Lin stepped beside Korra and earthbent the floor around them, creating a platform. She then put a hand on Korra's shoulder, reassuringly "Hang in there, kid" 

Flinging her arms up, Lin earthbent the platform around them, moving the group up the stairs. 

"She's not looking good" Raiko pointed out as they all watched Korra go

"Really? Didn't notice" Azula rolled her eyes sarcastically, wheeling Zira towards the stairs with Su following to help them. 

"Neither would you if you'd gone through what she had," Tonraq added, scowling at the president 

"She'll be fine. She just needs time to heal. The poison took a great toll." Tenzin said 

"Of course. I'm just saying, with the Earth Kingdom in complete disarray since the loss of the Queen ..." Raiko trailed off 

Elira's eyes widened slightly and she turned to Bolin. 

"Wait, the Earth Queen's dead? When did that happen?" She whispered  

"While you were brainwashed" Bolin whispered back

"Oh..." Elira muttered in realisation. 

"And even with Zaheer locked up again, we still don't know how many Red Lotus members might be out there, hiding," Zuko said, bringing the young duo's attention back to the conversation. 

"Exactly. With the world getting more and more dangerous, we need the Avatar now more than ever. Who will protect us while she's in a wheelchair?" Raiko thought out loud, not noticing behind him, the thoughtful look that came across Tenzin's face. 

Stroking his beard in thought, Tenzin turned slightly to look at Elira standing with Bolin as they watched Korra's retreating silhouette, an idea forming in his mind. 

*

Inside the temple, in the ceremonial hall incense sticks were burning and Air Acolytes and many guests were seated, witnessing the ceremony, while Elira and the airbenders stood on the stage in a semi-circle behind Tenzin. Jinora was standing in the middle next to her older sister, wearing a hood. Korra, in her wheelchair, along with Asami and her family were watching from a platform on one side of the stage, while Team Avatar and Elira's family watched from the other side of the stage. 

"Jinora, come forward," Tenzin said

Elira smiled proudly, watching as her little sister bowed and walked forward, standing beside their father before kneeling. 

Tenzin turned to address the crowd "Today, we welcome the second airbending master in a generation. And I couldn't be more proud of my daughter" 

Jinora looked up and smiled underneath her hood. 

"When the existence of our people was threatened, when the Avatar's life hung in the balance, Jinora never gave up hope. Thanks to her leadership, I see a very bright future for the Air Nation. Of course, there would be no Air Nation without Avatar Korra: she opened the portals and somehow the world began anew for us. And she was even willing to lay down her own life in order to protect ours" 

From where she was watching, Korra's eyes welled up with tears. 

"There's no way we can ever repay her for all she's done. But we can follow her example of service and sacrifice. So while she recuperates, the Air Nation will reclaim its nomadic roots and roam the earth" 

Elira's eyes widened in surprise at her father's words before a huge excited grin stretched across her face. 

"But unlike our ancestors, we will serve people of all nations, working wherever there is corruption and discord to restore balance and peace" Tenzin then turned to look at Korra "Avatar Korra, I vow that we will do everything in our power to follow in your footsteps and bring harmony to the world" 

Tenzin bowed to Korra, who gave a slight smile and nodded back. Tenzin turned his attention back to the crowd. 

"Now, let us anoint the master who will help lead us in our new path" 

Tenzin reached down and removed Jinora's hood, revealing her bald head and airbending tattoos. 

Removing her coat, Jinora stood up as Elira and the other airbenders bent the smoke from the burning incense sticks, swirling the smoke up until it hit the wind chimes around the hall, sending their beautiful music echoing through the hall. 

Jinora hugged Tenzin tightly as the audience clapped. Tears of joy fell from Zira's eyes as she watched from her wheelchair. She knew that if Aang was still here to see this, he would be so proud of how far their family and their people had come. 

On the other side of the hall, Korra too shed a tear. But there was no joy, no happiness in her eyes.