Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 3 (Patreon)

Recovering from his momentary stupor, Zaheer lurched forward with the intent to grab the strange and toss him aside. A part of him wanted to kill the kid then and there, but while many would readily label him a monster, he wasn't yet at the point where he would kill a child. Brainwash them into becoming a weapon? Absolutely. Kill them in cold blood? Not yet.

Reacting to Zaheer's charge, the youth raised his hands in concert with one another before making a pushing motion. A visible wave of pressure, similar to a blast wave, immediately surged out from his body. Zaheer saw this and attempted to preserve his momentum by leaping into the air and spinning. Such a maneuver was an effective way to break through weaker Air Bending pushes. Unfortunately for Zaheer, the visible pulse didn't just look like a blast wave; it was one.

As if he had just tried to break through a concrete wall charging into him, Zaheer found himself being pushed back as a loud, bone-chilling crunch echoed through the area. 

To Zaheer's credit, he managed to land on and maintain his footing. His left arm was twisted and dangling limply at his side, but the will to fight was still visible in his eyes. At the very least, that was the case until he raised his head only to find the youth's heel aiming at the bridge of his nose.

Under normal circumstances, Zaheer could have easily dodged such an attack. However, with his organs in disarray, he could barely even stand, much less dodge or roll to the side. As a result, the surprisingly light kick managed to find purchase before the mysterious youth flipped away from him by using his face as a springboard. 

Though he was a little annoyed by how little damage his kick had done, the tanned child didn't take it to heart. He only weighed around 20kgs at the present moment, so he still had significant room for improvement. He just needed to work hard and eat plentily during his developmental years.

Fortunately, while the child's attack had barely managed to stun Zaheer, a 20kg object flying into your face as several meters per second was more than enough to knock a person off balance. Zaheer's injuries made it even more difficult for him to respond. Taking advantage of this, small bands of lightning danced across the youth's hand as he charged forward with an implicitly merciless expression on his face.

Just as Zaheer managed to recover from the whiplash of a kid vaulting off his face, chills spread across the surface of his body when he noticed the same kid aiming what appeared to be a lightning-empowered punch at his family jewels. Two very different kinds of shock surged through him in the moments to follow. The first was the ridiculous notion that a six-year-old child could emulate one of the most advanced Bending techniques in the entire world. The second was proof that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him...

...

..

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Despite Senna's efforts to keep her daughter quiet, calm, and secure, the appearance of a young boy dropping from a sky was the proverbial straw that broke the Arctic Camel's back.

Though she was extremely surprised by the impact that left her and her mother disoriented, Korra hadn't exhibited any fear since the start of the conflict. Instead, she had maintained a resolute expression that exuded an earnest and heartfelt desire to protect her mother. If someone other than her father attempted to enter the vehicle, Korra had resolved herself to blast them in the face with her Firebending. It was the form of Bending everyone chastised her for using, so she was confident it would do some serious harm if the bad guys tried to hurt her or her mother.

With the emergence of the strange boy, Korra's uncharacteristic alertness immediately morphed into an insatiable curiosity. As far as she could tell, the boy was no older than she was, so, after squirming her way out of her mother's embrace, she leaped towards the outside like a lop-eared rabbit attempting to escape a Fox Mink.

"Korra...!"

Though she attempted to grab Korra's ankle, Senna's fear and anxiety had caused her body to tense up. As a result, she could not stop Korra as the latter leaped out of the disabled vehicle before crashing face-first in the snow.

Undaunted by her little fall, Korra pulled her head from the snow just in time to catch the tail end of the battle between her would-be kidnapper and the strange boy. When she saw lightning dancing across his fist, her vibrant, icy blue eyes shimmered with intrigue. However, that was nothing compared to the absolute glee she felt after seeing a boy not much larger than she was bringing an adult to his knees with a simple punch.

"So cooool...!"

Balling her hands into tiny fists, Korra was prepared to run over and ask the boy his name when her mother snatched her up, shouting, "Korra! It isn't safe! Come back inside...!"

"But mooooooom...!"

Demonstrating the lack of awareness expected of a five-year-old, Korra attempted to wriggle out of her mother's arms so she could go and play. This time, however, Senna wasn't letting her go. Seeing her daughter leap out of the vehicle had freed her from her anxiety-induced stasis, so there was no way she was letting Korra get away a second time.

Holding Korra tight against her, Senna took one moment to glance at the mysterious young boy that had come to their aid. She was just as curious as Korra regarding his identity, but that could come later. For now, she needed to focus on keeping her daughter safe. In Senna's mind, that was her absolute highest priority...

...

..

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Hearing the surprisingly grating sound of Korra throwing a tantrum, a wry smile developed across the tanned youth's face. He knew he was going to be hearing that sound a lot in the near future.

As that thought crossed his mind, a series of popping sounds caught the youth's attention. Understanding what this meant, he immediately raised his hand to produce a second blast wave. This was enough to prevent the Combustion Beam from impacting him directly, but it did little to deter the resultant shockwave. He could feel it passing through his body, his organs violently trembling as his Chi encircled them like a protective membrane.

"That's gonna leave a mark..."

Ignoring the painful throbbing of his head and the bleeding from his ears, the youth pushed himself to a standing position before directing his gaze towards the fierce-looking woman staring down at him from a ridge. With the defeat of Zaheer, she was the last person standing on the side of the Red Lotus. Tenzin and Zuko had backed her into a corner, but that hadn't prevented her from firing off several Combustion Beams with the intent of killing off downed members of the White Lotus. She realized their mission was a failure, so she was currently doing everything in her power to cause as much damage as possible before her capture. As for the beam she had fired toward him? It was purely out of spite.

"Trying to blow someone up just because they knocked your boyfriend out...give me a break..."

"Hey, kid, you okay...?"

Thanks to his ruptured eardrums, the tanned youth could not hear Tonraq approaching him with the unconscious Ming-Hua on his shoulder. He did, however, notice the giant man's shadow, smiling as he turned to the burly Water Bender and said, "You must be Korra's father, Master Tonraq. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Surprised by the youth's casual response, Tonraq barely managed to get up an ice wall as another stray Combustion Beam barreled towards them.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Tonraq turned toward the strange youth with the intent to ask his name and identity. Seeing the blood running from his ears and nose, however, he decided to ask, "Are you okay...?"

Though he couldn't hear a thing Tonraq said, the youth could read his lips without issue. The smile on his face became more radiant as he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and answered, "Just a bit of internal bleeding and some ruptured eardrums. Don't mind it. Once my Chi has replenished, I'll be able to make a full recovery."

"..."

Taken aback by the youth's casual response, Tonraq found himself at a loss for words. He knew the kid was anything but ordinary, but it was still weird to hear such a young boy speak in such a clear, concise, and overtly casual manner. It was almost like he was an old war veteran trying to put a much younger soldier at ease...

To hide his discomfort, Tonraq looked around the area, his gaze briefly lingering on Zaheer before looking towards the vehicle where his wife and daughter were. He felt a little helpless hearing Korra throwing one of her legendary tantrums, but, at the very least, it assured him that both she and her mother were safe.

Understanding the mysterious youth had a hand in guaranteeing the two's safety, Tonraq returned his gaze to the bright-eyed child, saying, "I don't know who you are, but you have my gratitude. If anything were to happen to my wife or daughter, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself..."

Reinforcing the idea he was much older than he appeared, an approving smile developed across the youth's face as he answered, "Your gratitude humbles me. Even so, I sincerely accept. You're welcome."

"..."

Scratching the side of his face, Tonraq's expression became awkward as he fell into another momentary silence. He was a competent leader, but he wasn't a very sociable person. Hearing a young child speaking to him as if they were equals left him feeling uncomfortable.

Noticing the man's discomfort, a wry smile developed across the youth's face as he said, "You'll have to forgive me if my words sound a little odd. Not being able to hear myself speak makes it difficult to control my pitch and tone."

"..."

Feeling even more uncomfortable, Tonraq unceremoniously tossed Ming-Hua onto the ground, asking, "Can you watch these two for me...uh?"

"Kahn. Aldr Kahn."

"Right...well, Kahn, can you watch these two for me? I want to check on my wife and daughter."

Though he returned a friendly smile, Kahn caught Tonraq off guard by saying, "That wouldn't be particularly wise, given the circumstances. If anything, rushing towards your wife and daughter at the present moment would incentivize Miss Sparky Sparky Boom Girl to fire a few combustive blasts their way. I would advise you to remain patient until Master's Zuko and Tenzin have resolved the matter."

"..."

Had anyone else spoken such words, Tonraq may have shouted in their face before storming off to protect his wife and daughter. Hearing a child state them, however, had a strangely sobering effect.

"Just who...no...what are you, Kahn...?"

Tilting his head to the side, Kahn appeared to consider Tonraq's words before answering, "The answer to that question is far more complicated than you can imagine. While I am undoubtedly human, I am also a Quasi-Elemental Spirit. The easiest way to explain things is using your daughter, or, more accurately, the Avatar as a reference. Just as she is the inheritor of the Spirit of Light and Peace, I am the inheritor of the Spirit of Fire and Absolution. As for why I am here, I was created to protect your daughter and to help preserve the balance of this world."

Though Kahn's words were a lot to take in, the thing that caught Tonraq's attention was the word "created." His brows immediately furrowed as he inquired, "Who created you? You said you're here to protect my daughter, but from what?"

Gesturing to their surroundings, an incredulous expression developed across Kahn's face as he said, "A group of anarchists just attempted to kidnap and turn your five-year-old daughter into a weapon. Did you think this would be the last danger she ever encountered as the Avatar? As for the entity that created me...he is known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. He isn't the original creator of this world, but his power far exceeds even the most ancient of Spirits..."

Having never heard of a being called the Sage Dragon Emperor, Tonraq was prepared to continue his questioning when the sound of rushing wind caught his attention. He immediately recognized this as the characteristic sound of Air Bending, so, rather than press Kahn for answers, he lowered the ice wall to confirm the battle had ended before rushing over to check on his wife and daughter...