Valkyrie

The Gathering: Part One

"Catastrophe?" The words echoed out of her, as hollow as the Tree of Life's remains.

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

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

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

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

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

"I...I understand."

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

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

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

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

"Other...realities?" Korra questioned.

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

"What are those?"

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

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

"And villains."

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

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