Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 7 (Patreon)

After piggybacking Korra to where she and her mother were staying, Kahn dropped the slumbering Avatar off in her room before preparing to return to his own. At least, that was his intention before his path was blocked by two women in traditional Water Tribe garments.

Cupping his hands together, Kahn politely lowered his head in the manner reserved for Masters as he said, "Master Katara, Lady Senna, it is good to see the two of you. I just finished placing Korra in her bedroom."

Smiling in response to Kahn's words and greeting, Katara stepped forward to get a better look at the young Avatar before mirroring his polite gesture and saying, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aldr Kahn. I never got the chance to thank you for your assistance during Korra's attempted kidnapping. Without your timely arrival...I fear our losses would have been far greater..."

Shaking his head, Kahn's expression became serious as he said, "You give me too much credit. Even if I hadn't shown up, Masters Zuko, Tonraq, and Tenzin would have been able to repel the enemies. While my actions may have resulted in fewer lives lost, my only goal was to protect the Avatar. I am not a hero deserving of praise or gratitude."

Adopting a very grandmotherly smile, Katara issued a soft chuckle before saying, "The curious thing about gratitude is that it isn't up to the recipient to determine whether or not they deserve it. There is a reason we created words such as humility and humbleness..."

Though he understood the truth within Katara's words, it didn't stop Kahn from exhaling a sigh. His Creator, presumably with a desire to see how he would grow and develop of his own accord, hadn't equipped him with the knowledge or experience necessary to navigate a conversation. He knew all the words and could quickly ascertain a person's hidden intentions, but that didn't make conversing any easier. If anything, it made things worse.

"Just tell me what you want to say..."

Surprised by the sudden change in Kahn's disposition, Katara's brows raised as she amusedly remarked, "Oh my. No need to feel embarrassed. Now, what was it I wanted to say...ah, yes. How would you like to assist in Korra's training?"

Without missing a beat, Kahn answered, "I refuse. Instructing Korra is the responsibility of you and the other Masters. While our games are a form of training, their true purpose is to preserve Korra's innate curiosity. I cannot be her Master. Were I to assist in her training, Korra would lose one of the only outlets she has to express herself and behave like a child..."

Shaking his head, Kahn was prepared to depart when Senna obstructed his path, asking, "Why are you and your Creator so concerned about my daughter? Please, as her mother, I deserve to know if something terrible is going to happen. My heart can't take the uncertainty..."

Meeting Senna's remarkably blue eye, Kahn left the young mother feeling taken aback as he plainly stated, "You've got it completely backward. It is because they do not know the future humans can live happily. Knowledge of the future is a curse that forces people onto one of two self-destructive paths. Those with the power to do so exploit their knowledge for personal gain. Those without fall into despair as they do everything in their power to oppose fate only to fail miserably..."

Shifting his glowing green eyes in the direction of Korra's room, Kahn's expression softened ever so slightly as he added, "The being who created me is one of the few beings unbound by fate. As for why he made me, the answer is simple. The original Korra lived much of her life being led astray and manipulated by others. My Creator cherishes the concept of freedom above all others. I am here to ensure Korra is given a chance to determine her fate..."

"And what of you, Kahn? What about your freedom...?"

Hearing Katara's question, Kahn shifted his gaze to the elderly woman, a faint smile on his face as he answered, "I don't expect you to understand, but I am incredibly fortunate to be here. You cannot even fathom just how many people would readily trade places with me. Thus, while it may seem as though I am bound by purpose, I have cherished every single moment I've spent in this world..."

Eager to end the conversation, Kahn punctuated his words by cupping his hands together and bowing. Then, before either of the two women could stop him, he practically bolted out of the small yet cozy abode. It was an awkward display, but he would rather suffer a moment of embarrassment than continue conversing with the two Water Tribeswomen...

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Seeing Kahn run off, Katara had an amused smile on her face while Senna maintained an expression of concern. Kahn's words and actions did very little to alleviate her concerns. If anything, they made her feel even more anxious...

"Why did my daughter have to be born the Avatar...?"

Hearing Senna's silent utterance, Katara placed her hand on the young mother's back, her voice kind and supportive as she said, "We have no control over such matters, I'm afraid. If your daughter hadn't been born the Avatar, someone else's child would have been. All you can do at this point is raise her to the best of your ability. After that, it is up to Korra to decide the path she walks. In that regard, I am in complete agreement with our mysterious young friend."

Exhaling a sigh, Senna was about to express her concerns regarding placing their trust in someone with such suspicious origins when Korra emerged from her room dragging a stuffed polar bear dog by the leg, asking, "Mom? Is dinner-huh? Gran Gran? What are you doing here?"

With Senna at a momentary loss for words, Katara took it upon herself to greet the young Korra before explaining, "I'm going to be living here with you and your mother from now on. If you ever have any questions about Waterbending, feel free to ask. I'm no longer in my prime, but I'm still the best Healer and one of the best Waterbenders in the whole world."

Ever eager to learn more about Bending, Korra's drowsiness gave way to excitement as she jumped up and punched into the air, exclaiming, "Great! With your help, I can finally beat Kahn...!"

Though she had doubts about Korra defeating Kahn outside of the Avatar State, Katara nodded her head in approval, an amused smile developing across her face as she answered, "Perhaps. But why are you so eager to defeat him? Are you and Kahn not friends?"

Without any hesitation, Korra answered, "Yeah!" before promptly balling her hands into fists and adding, "But he just annoys me so much! We're almost the same age, but he knows so much more than me! Since I can't be smarter than him, I want to at least be stronger!"

With Kahn having an answer to virtually all of her questions, even some of the completely random ones, Korra had concluded she would never be as smart as him. Fortunately, she was the Avatar. Kahn may be the smartest, but the Avatar was the most powerful person in the whole world. She just needed to train hard, and she would eventually be able to beat him. Then, he would have no choice but the pay attention to her.

Seeing through Korra's intentions, an amused chuckle emanated from Katara's throat as she mussed the young Avatar's hair and answered, "I see. Well then, how about you show me what you've learned while your mother works on dinner?"

Never one to shy away from an opportunity to show off, Korra eagerly accepted Katara's proposal. She was a little tired after playing the entire day, but if it meant she could defeat Kahn, she didn't mind putting in a bit of effort...

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After returning to his abode, the first thing Kahn did was prepare himself a meal of five-flavor soup using squid, blubbered seal, arctic hen, and a few other staple ingredients popular in the Southern Water Tribe. 

When Kahn first arrived in the secretive compound, the Order of the White Lotus offered to prepare his meals. After sampling their food, however, he insisted on being given the ingredients directly. Their food wasn't terrible; it just lacked substance. Like there was no emotion in it whatsoever.

Since food was one of the pillars of mental health, Kahn wouldn't settle for meals prepared without care. If the Chefs living within the compound didn't care about the quality of the food they were serving him, Kahn saw no reason to waste either of their time. He would simply prepare his own.

Fortunately, while it was clear that certain members of the Order weren't particularly enthused by Kahn's stay in the compound, they had yet to go out of their way to antagonize him. When Kahn asked for ingredients, they readily provided them. After all, as much as they disliked the notion of an 'uncontrollable element' near their precious Avatar, they weren't willing to risk offending someone that could best some of their most skilled Masters at the age of six. Kahn was clearly special, and, as ridiculous as the notion of a second Avatar was, they had no choice but to accept the reality that had presented itself before them.

Upon finishing his meal, Kahn took a moment to wash his face and clean his nails before making himself comfortable atop the duck-feather sheet that served as his bed. Instead of sleeping, however, he crossed his legs, sat as straight as possible, and linked his fingers together with his thumbs forming a loose circle below his navel. Then, in a remarkably short period of time, his consciousness descended into his body before he reawoke in the Spirit World.

While others would need to meditate for hours just to have any hope of entering the Spirit World, Kahn was able to come and go as he pleased. He was effectively a quasi-spirit, so if he wanted to, he could even use his Astral Body to pass through walls, gather information, and keep an eye on suspicious individuals. The only real downside was that his physical body was completely defenseless while his Spirit was away.

"Ah, you're here. I was wondering when you would show up."

Turning his head, Kahn was unsurprised to find a rather portly old man with a large beard emerging from the perpetual haze that obscured most of the Spirit World.

Adopting a smile he rarely exhibited outside, Kahn's expression and tone softened as he replied, "It's good to see you, Iroh. I trust you have been well since our last meeting?"

With one of the most grandfatherly smiles imaginable, Iroh ran his fingers through his long white beard as he warmly replied, "Your concern is much appreciated. However, I must continue to advise you against spending too much time in the Spirit World. As much as I enjoy our daily chats, a young boy like yourself shouldn't be spending all his time worrying about events to come."

Having gotten to know Kahn remarkably well over the past two months, Iroh couldn't help showing concern for the young Avatar. He was worried that Kahn was pushing himself to become the person he was meant to be rather than the person he could have become by simply doing his best to be happy.

Children, even those gifted with tremendous power, shouldn't have to bear the burden of the future. It was the duty of adults to make sure everything was running smoothly by the time the next generation was ready to take over.

Appreciative of Iroh's concerns, Kahn's smile became noticeably more amicable as he said, "I'll be fine. As I told you before, I spend most of the day playing with someone around my age. Besides, I enjoy working with my hands and building things. Working on this cottage every day gives me a feeling of accomplishment I can't really find in the outside world. Please stop trying to get me to stop."

Exhaling a faint sigh, Iroh ceased caressing his beard before walking over to Kahn and saying, "So long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Still, it wouldn't be very responsible of me to give up trying to deter you from spending so much time in the Spirit World. Even if you do not require rest, you should sleep. Without dreams to guide them, people eventually lose sight of the future. You may have been sent to this world with a specific purpose in mind, but you still have the right to your own hopes, dreams, and aspirations..."

Punctuating his words, Iroh lightly ruffled Kahn's dark-brown hair. He doubted the young Avatar would take his words to heart, but so long as Kahn kept returning to the Spirit World, Iroh would keep repeating them. He knew Kahn didn't have any parents, so even if the young boy came to resent him, Iroh was determined to do everything in his power to support and guide the boy toward the happiness he deserved...