Chapter 72

Chen flinched a bit when he walked outside the library. He started falling, up. The world just went upside down, and he found himself heading to the grassy ground.

The spirit world was very bizarre. Chen flipped at the last moment and landed on his feet.

'I would never get used to the feeling of existing in such a place.'

Looking left and right, Chen walked.

Behind him and still in the library were Kuvira, Amon and Tarrlok. The scummy people he'd decided to trap.

Chen should now have accomplished his mission. No crazy spirits would attack his people.

However, there was no guarantee something similar would not happen again.

Chen halted his steps suddenly.

He'd thought about something, and he found out that he could make one of the two choices. He could go to the pole, which would take some time, given that the spirit world was so vast. It would take what was worth travelling a continent to arrive there, and he didn't know the directions here.

Or, he could simply guarantee that the spirits won't come back to the material world.

According to the spirits inside him, Vaatu had played a role in convincing the spirits to attack Chen and Raava.

Although he'd defeated the current spirits, they would still come back.

Wang's library may have been sealed, but it's not the only thing that would lead to the material world.

"I'll seal everything, and I'll kill Vaatu." Chen decided. He would seal the potential portals, and he would kill Vaatu — the spirit of the darkness.

maybe singing Baby Shark Do Do next to the tree of the time would do it.

<<Can you do that though? He's sealed in the tree of the time>> said the spirit of the sparrow.

"We can do it," Chen replied blandly, walking. He suddenly stopped, and he recalled something Iroh had told him.

He could summon things by thinking about them, right? His spiritual energy would affect this world.

He closed his eyes, and a couple of hours passed.

A very large dragon bird appeared flying toward Chen, which made him smile.

Chen opened his arms widely. "Goldy…" that was his dragon pet, whom he'd saved when he came to this world for the first time.

-x-X-x-

Three days later, Chen started panting, looking at a panting. Next to him was a large spirit that was panting. It had a panda form, which could switch to a different creature to use winds. This spirit could travel to the material world, and Chen had just sealed the portal. As for the spirit he'd defeated, it won't die. It would heal on its own.

"Two done … many few left." Chen rubbed the sweat off his head and he walked toward the dragon bird spirit, Goldy that had been waiting for him.

Chen turned his head to a near forest, and he thought of how long he would stay there.

Between the trees, a familiar figure appeared. Chen thought he was hallucinating. But when she approached him, Chen became certain that it was reality — at least according to this realm's physics. It's Korra.

How did she come here?

Wait a second. She's the Avatar. She can meditate and come to the spirit world with ease.

Opening her arms, she ran toward Chen and jumped. He simply opened his arm, letting her hug him.

"Chen. You idiot." She said. "You made us all worry."

"How's Asami?"

Korra pulled from his embrace, stared at him dead in the eyes, and said. "Not going to ask if I'm fine or how things had gone with Zaheer."

"I just saw you and knew you were fine." Chen shrugged. He smiled. "But I'm quite curious."

"I've fought Zaheer. Although he became an avatar himself, he'd no chance against me." She rubbed her chest proudly. "Kicked his ass when he used shielded himself with the wind. He'd never expected that I would bend lightning."

"Good one." Chen smiled a bit. "Other than that, what happened."

"The new chief of the north pole, the fire lord has been killed. I used my diplomatic status to stabilise things. However, some people seem to be angry."

"You know what to do?" Chen titled his head.

"Kick their asses and not listen to anything they say."

"High-five me." Chen raised his hand, and Korra clapped.

"Anyway." Chen cocked his eyebrow.

Korra understood what he was hinting at. "Asami is quite upset at you, honestly. Other times sad, breaking things… after knowing that you've planned to trap yourself here, she was very angry. I suggest you hurry back… the more you say here, and more mommy stay angry."

"Mommy?" Chen tightened his gaze.

Chen used to call Asami mommy in the past too. Seeing Korra using that nickname made him suspicious. Can the avatar read thoughts?

Chen opened his eyes widely. "You were planning on a kink game. That's why you wore a collar that night?"

"That's what got in your mind?" She put her hands behind her back. "What about the part when I say she's super pissed off?"

Chen remembered something. After he had fought Unalaq in the spirit world, behind Asami's back, the latter promised him to bite off his sausage if he ever did that again.

Placing a hand on Korra's shoulder, he said. "I won't come back for now. I have a job that must be done."

"What is it?"

"Closing the portals to the other world. After that, I'll deal with some spirit, and I would come back." He said.

"Come on. That's my job, not yours. Just go to the pole and come back." She looked at his eyes with her big blue eyes. She was adorable.

Chen shook his head. "It's something I do to achieve my personal goal, which is to protect the life I built in the material world. For that, I won't come back until I guarantee that no other spirits would come after us."

Korra clenched her fists and lowered her head. She seemed to understand his reasons. "How about food, shelter? Won't you get hungry? Won't you feel lonely? How will you keep your mind intact."

"Don't worry. Even the fog of the lost souls couldn't break me." Maybe because he was broken beyond repair anyway already.

He pressed on her shoulder. Feeling the soft flesh of Korra, Chen wondered. "Hold on… I'm in my physical body, and you are in your soul form? Do you know what I'm thinking of?"

Korra smiled. "You pervert?"

"Would you get pregnant though, If I banged your soul?" Chen joked. But he stopped when he realised that it was a good question.

Korra placed her hand on his mouth and shook his head. "Now I am reconsidering it."

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you," Chen said. "Now. Go back to the material world. Take care of Asami. And tell her that I'm trying my hardest to come back, but the road is very long that it would take a lot of time for me to come home"

"Why would you lie about that? Can't I just say that you are doing your task?"

Chen shook his head. He wanted to keep his sausage. "I have my wise reasons. Do you trust me?"

"I do." Korra sighed in frustration. "Alright. I'll visit you later. Stay alive."

"Yeah, yeah."

She started fading into thin air, leaving nothingness behind her.

Chen stretched his arms up. "Time to get back to work. Goldy. Come here." The dragon bird approached Chen, letting him ride on its back, before flying away.

-x-X-x-

4 months later.

Republic City:

The citizens of Republic City were gathered for a special occasion.

Today, the staff of the city finished instructing memorial statues for the hero.

The city president waved his hand, and a 30 meters statue was revealed to the citizens.

"The previous star of the pro-bending matches, and the current hero for the world, who sacrificed himself and cut the ways for the spirits to destroy more of our city, the hero Chen."

Next to him, a few other statues appeared. "And we don't forget the people who helped him."

Smaller statues of Kuvira appeared next to Chen.

Because of Beifong's report, the president had realised that Chen had taken the blood benders to another prison. As for Kuvira, no one knew why Chen had trapped her too. But they had to build a memorial statue for her so that the metal clan would be happy.

History may be fake. But as long as it satisfies the citizens and made them think that they are a part of a glorious existence, even though they weren't, so be it. It's a good way to control the masses.

People started clapping, clueless, but happy to hear a good story of a hero that made them feel good before going to bed.

On a platform, the president said. "If there is someone who wants to say something about him, this is your shot."

While saying that, he looked at Asami, the Sato daughter, with a smile.

She only lowered her eyes, like a sad widow.

"Yeah, I'd like to say something." Someone from the crowd said. Blue-eyed, tall, white, and had a strong smooth beard.

Everyone turned their eyes to him.

"Who are you?" said the president. He then faked a few coughs. "I mean, who are you, and what do you have to say."

"I think I would look better with a slight beard. " He looked at the statues, rubbing his dark beard. "I didn't shave for a long time. They don't have barbers in the spirit world."

Silence.

the president titled his eyebrows. When he saw Avatar throwing herself at the new guy and hugging him, he was certain. It's the guy whom they built a statue for, plus a beard.