The air was still.
Too still.
Kaiqok stood at the edge of the glacier ridge just outside the village, his golden cloak pulsing softly with energy. He'd sensed the presence again—the masked figure who had confronted Korra. That scent of imbalance in the elements. Like something had cracked in the foundation of this world.
Korra stood behind him, her fists clenched at her sides, a flame already smoldering in her palm. "You're sure he's coming?"
Kaiqok nodded. "He's not hiding anymore. He wants us to find him."
She growled. "Then let's go make him regret it."
---
The two didn't have to wait long. Just past the broken bridge near the training caves, a figure emerged from the mist. Cloaked, masked, and silent.
The red markings across his mask glowed faintly now—an ominous shimmer that made the hairs on Kaiqok's neck stand on edge.
"I hoped it would be just you," the masked man said, voice calm, almost casual. "But I see you've brought the girl."
"She's not just a girl," Kaiqok replied. "She's the Avatar."
The masked man tilted his head. "Not yet. And if I succeed—she never will be."
That did it.
Korra didn't wait for another word.
She surged forward with a roar, launching a twin stream of fire from her palms. The masked man slid back effortlessly, redirecting the flames with a swirl of wind that extinguished them mid-air.
Kaiqok moved.
In a blur of golden motion, his cloak shifted into the form of a lion—claws extended, chakra glowing. He struck low, feinting left then jabbing upward with a spinning kick enhanced by Earth-nature chakra.
The masked man blocked with a glowing bracer of ice, absorbing the force.
"Impressive," he murmured. "You weren't like this before."
Kaiqok's eyes narrowed. "You've seen me before."
The masked man chuckled. "In pieces. Across many lives."
The cryptic reply only fueled Kaiqok's aggression. He channeled chakra into his fists—drawing from Fire and Wind—causing his strikes to ignite with every punch. Each blow became a combustion. He and the masked stranger clashed in a burst of sparks and steel-like strikes, wind colliding with fire, ice shattering against chakra.
Behind them, Korra bent water from the snow around her, freezing it into jagged spears. With a flick of her wrists, she sent them flying at the masked man's blind side.
He spun, dodging three—but the fourth grazed his shoulder, tearing cloth and drawing a hiss from behind the mask.
"Sloppy," he muttered.
Then—he moved.
Faster than either of them expected.
He vanished and reappeared behind Korra, striking her square in the back with a burst of pure spirit energy. She went flying, skidding across the ice, breath knocked out of her.
"KORRA!"
Kaiqok caught her before she hit the rocks.
She coughed, but nodded. "I'm good. Just… surprised."
Kaiqok turned, fury in his chest now burning hotter than any fire he could bend.
His cloak pulsed.
It shifted again—this time into the form of a dragon.
The air warped around him. His eyes glowed brighter than the sun off fresh snow.
"Don't touch her again," he growled.
The masked man didn't reply.
Kaiqok launched.
This time, the sky lit up with chakra energy. His form blurred mid-strike—phasing between animal shapes. One moment a tiger, the next a hawk. He fought like a beast unchained, tail of pure light slamming into the ground, cracking the ice, fangs of fire snapping at the enemy.
The masked man fought harder too.
He summoned water in blade form. Created a shield of compressed air. Earth rose at his command—unnatural, not bent in the traditional sense, but twisted.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Kaiqok demanded between blows.
"I didn't learn it," the masked man hissed. "I remembered it."
That stopped Kaiqok cold.
A gut-punch of realization hit him.
This enemy…
He was from his world.
Or one like it.
"Who are you?"
The mask tilted. "A shadow of what you could become."
He struck again—but Kaiqok was ready.
He dodged and countered with a pulse of chakra shaped into a massive flaming fox's head, crashing into the masked man and sending him skidding across the ice. The snow steamed under the blast.
The figure staggered to his feet, cloak scorched.
Korra stood beside Kaiqok again, panting, but alive.
"Next time," the masked man said, turning his back. "You won't have the girl to protect you."
Kaiqok raised his hand—but the enemy vanished in a swirl of mist before he could strike.
Silence returned.
---
Later that night, by the firepit behind Ayaya's house, Korra leaned against Kaiqok, a bruise on her shoulder but a grin on her face.
"That… was awesome."
He gave a tired laugh. "We almost died."
"Yeah. But we didn't. We won."
He glanced at her, seeing the same fire in her eyes that had burned when they first met. The same spark. But deeper now. Sharper.
He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You were amazing."
Her cheeks pinked slightly. "I know."
He smirked.
For a moment, they sat in silence.
Then she nudged him. "Hey, Kai?"
"Yeah?"
"When we beat that guy for real… I want to kiss you after."
He blinked. "That's oddly specific."
"Well, if I'm gonna go full Avatar mode, I want my first flame to be someone who burns brighter than the rest."
He looked at her for a long second—then laughed.
"Deal."