The Chakras
Naga and Korra landed on Aang's Temple Island. She got off Naga and limped around trying to find a door. But when she found it, she wasn't too happy about it. "You're kidding right?" she said as she saw that the door to go inside the temple could only be opened by airbending. Naga whined and put her head on her paws.
"Ugh!" Korra said sitting down next to Naga and patting her. "I didn't just come all this way for nothing. I have to try, right Naga?" she said rubbing Naga's neck. Naga just looked at her. Korra got up and tried to airbend. "Come'on AIRBEND!" she'd say trying to bend the air around her. Nothing. She hit the door.
"Wait, I think I know how to get in" she said sitting down to meditate. "Avatar Aang, I need your help" she said with her eyes closed. Nothing happened. "Avatar Aang, I need your help" she repeated. Still nothing. "How am I supposed to get inside if I can't airbend!" she yelled. She stood there for a couple of hours thinking about ways to get in. "Hmm, I wonder" she said getting up. She began to move like an airbender, her eyes closed and at the end she put her hand out and a bit of air came out, just enough to open the door. "Yes!" she cried jumping up. "Ow" she said gabbing her leg; it hadn't been such a great idea to jump. "Come Naga" she said as she limped her way inside, once they were both in the door closed.
"Where can Korra be!" Mako asked walking back and forth. Korra had told him she was going to put Naga in the stable but they had both disappeared. He had looked for them all over the island but he had not found them.
"Perhaps Korra needed some time to meditate" Katara told him.
"Korra wouldn't have left without telling me where she was going" he said, still pacing back and forth.
"Would you have let her go alone?" Katara asked.
"Of course not! Korra can't-" and he stopped. She must of known he wouldn't let her go.
"But where could she had gone?" Senna asked worried. Tonraq hugged her. "Maybe we should split up and look for her" he said.
"That's a good idea, Mako and I will search half of the city, Senna and Tonraq you search the other side. Mother, would you mind staying here in case Korra comes back?" Tenzin said looking at Katara.
"You go look for her. I'll stay here with Pema and the children and see if she comes back" Katara said calmly.
"Let's go!" Mako said and they all left.
"Where can Korra be?" Pema asked. Katara looked outside the window and stared at Aang's statue. She smiled. She knew where Korra was.
"Hello?" Korra said as she went inside the temple. She looked for a torch. When she found it she used firebending to turn it on and did the same for the rest of the torches. "Look, I don't exactly know how this works, so it would be very helpful if you told me" she said inside the temple. The only sound was her voice. She kept going inside and stopped in front of a life size statue of Avatar Aang. She sat down cross legged in front of it. Naga laid behind her giving her back support. "Thank you Naga" she said. "Ok, here goes nothing" she said and began to meditate again. She stood that way for several minutes. "Avatar Aang, I need your help" she said. When she didn't hear anything she opened her eyes and said "I think I'm-" but stopped. Avatar Aang was sitting crossed legged in front of her.
"No you were doing fine" he said with a smile.
"I didn't know. I mean, it's not something I'm very good at" she said.
"You are starting to get the hang of it" he said.
"So I see" she said looking down.
"Why did you need to speak to me?" he asked her.
"I need to master the Avatar State" she said. "That's the only way I can beat Amon".
"You have defeated him before without it" he replied.
"Yeah, but I had help" she said.
"Korra, it is okay to have help. I had a lot of help from my friends".
"I don't want them to get hurt trying to protect me".
"They know the risks".
"And I appreciate everything they have done for me, but I won't be able to forgive myself if they got hurt".
"I can teach you how to master the Avatar State. But it will be an intense experience" he warned. "Once you begin you cannot stop".
She inhaled and said "I'm ready".
"Do you know what chakras are?" he asked.
"Yeah, I read about how Guru Pathik helped you open yours up" she said.
"Good, then you know the consequences of it if you leave before all seven are open".
"Yes" she said.
Avatar Aang nodded. "Let us begin. I will teach you how to open your chakras just like Guru Pathik taught me. The first chakra is the Earth Chakra, it is located at the base of the spine. It deals with Survival, and is blocked by Fear. What is it that you fear the most Korra?" he asked.
Korra closed her eyes. She saw Amon and remembered her battle with him. He was coming at her and she was scared. "NO!" she screamed with her eyes closed as she had her arms on her side trying to crawl away from him.
"Korra, open your eyes. Amon is not here. You have defeated him once, you don't need to be afraid of him" he explained.
Korra opened her eyes, sweat trickled down her face. She nodded and closed her eyes and remembered how she beat Amon. She exhaled.
"Very good. You have unlocked the first chakra. The Second chakra is the Water Chakra, which deals with Pleasure, and is blocked by Guilt. What do you feel guilty about?" he asked.
She closed her eyes and remembered how she had attacked Tenzin while in the Avatar State. "I could have killed him" she said.
"But you didn't. You managed to gain control and that's what matters" he said.
Korra nodded and accepted that she didn't hurt Tenzin. She had gained control just in time.
"You have unlocked the second chakra. The Third is the Fire Chakra, which is located in the stomach. Deals with Willpower, the Fire Chakra is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of?" he asked.
Korra had flashbacks about her airbending training and how she could not bend air. "I'm the Avatar and I can't bend air" she said. "How am I supposed to save the world if I have not completed my training?"
"Korra, you have already mastered three elements. Airbending is the hardest for you to know but you managed to airbend to get in here. In addition you have now learned metalbending. You will airbend when you are ready" he said.
She smiled and closed her eyes.
"You are doing great Korra" he told her. The Fourth chakra is located in the heart, this chakra deals with Love, and is blocked by Grief. What aches your heart?"
She closed her eyes and remembered when she bid her mother and father good bye when she headed to Republic City. She also remembered the conversation she had with her mother about Mako.
"I never wanted to leave my parents. They have always loved me and it breaks my heart to see them suffer. I don't want to see Mako in pain either if something happens to me".
"Your parent's will always love you and be with you. They understand the duties of the Avatar and so does Mako. Their love for you will always be in your heart".
Korra cried a bit and accepted this.
"Good. The fifth Chakra is the Sound Chakra, and is located in the throat. It deals with Truth, and is blocked by the Lies we tell ourselves. What is the lie that you tell yourself?"
She closed her eyes and remembered the ball and how she told Amon, "I'm not afraid of anybody!" The truth was that she was afraid of him.
"Fear is not weakness. It is a natural feeling, we have discussed this before. Even the Avatar feels this" he told her. She looked at him and nodded. She accepted her fear for Amon once again.
"You are doing a great job! Now, Located in the center of the forehead, is the sixth Chakra of Light which is responsible for Insight, and is blocked by Illusions. The greatest Illusion is that of Separation: Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same".
She thought about that for a minute. "You mean like benders and non benders? We are all the same people, that's why you and Fire Lord Zuko founded Republic City. So we can live as one!"
Avatar Aang nodded. "Exactly. We have reached the last and hardest chakra. The Seventh Chakra, is called the Thought Chakra, it is located at the crown of the head, and deals with Cosmic Energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. You must let go of what attaches you to this earth".
Korra closed her eyes and saw her parents and Mako. "Let go of them" Avatar Aang instructed.
"Wait, What? I can't!" she said. "They are my family! He's my true love! I have to protect them! I can't let go of them!"
"To master the Avatar State you must. You have to accept your fate as the Avatar. You cannot let them hold you back".
"But you loved Master Katara! You didn't let go of her!"
"I loved her and still do. But as the Avatar I recognized my duty to this world and I had to let go of her to protect her, just like you want to protect your family and Mako".
"No! I can't! They are everything I have! It is my duty to protect them!"
"Your duty is to the four nations. The only way to protect them is to let go of them. Don't you see? As long as you hang on to them, Amon will use them to do his bidding. They are your weakness. You must let them go".
"No! I don't care if I don't master the Avatar State! I will not let go of my family and Mako!" she said getting up and walking away from him.
"Korra! If you stop now you won't be able to enter the Avatar State!" he told her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "You said it yourself. I had defeated Amon without the Avatar State and I will do it again" and she walked away.
Korra landed back on Air Temple Island with Naga. She was feeling weak. She stumbled onto the beach. Her vision began to get blurry and she finally passed out. Naga whined and laid down next to her. She woke up in her bed with Mako sleeping in a chair next to her. She had a cloth on her forehead, apparently she had been running a fever. She looked at him and whispered "Mako?"
"Korra! I was so worried! Where did you go?" he asked placing his hand on her forehead. It was still warm. He had found her in the beach running a fever, he didnt know what caused it.
"I went to talk to Avatar Aang at his temple" she whispered. She was feeling very weak.
"What for?" he asked. Katara entered the room.
"You went to master the Avatar State" she told her. Korra looked at her and nodded.
"Wait. You knew where she was?" he asked. Katara smiled.
"Korra had to go alone to speak to Aang. She needed his help to unlock the chakras, that's why she is running a fever, it is a very intense experience and Korra hasn't been able to recover from her wounds. Did he help you?" she asked.
Korra looked away. "I-I" she began.
"What is it?" Mako asked.
"You left before you finished unlocking them, didn't you" Katara said worried.
Korra nodded.
"You will not be able to go into the Avatar State" she told her.
"What?" Mako asked. "Korra what's going on?"
"I left before I could unlock the last chakra. I can't go into the Avatar State".
"But why did you leave?" he asked.
"I couldn't do what Avatar Aang asked of me" she said looking away.
"Korra, now how are you going to face Amon?" he asked.
"I will face him without the help of the Avatar State. I did it before and I can do it again" she said.
"It almost cost you your life!" Mako said. "Korra, I can't lose you".
"You won't. I will face Amon, and I will win" she said.
"You will need all the help you can get" Katara told her.
"I will be with you, and we will win" Mako said as he hugged her. Korra hugged him back and said "Yes". But she already had a plan in mind, one that did not involve any of her friends. Only she would face Amon, she would not risk her family and Mako's safety.
"Is everything ready?" Amon asked.
"Yes, we are ready for the Avatar. She won't see it coming".
"Good" Amon replied. "Let's see what the Avatar can really do".
TO BE CONTINUED…
