The Darkness

Think. The only thing you can really do in a box. And that's all I did. That and heal my major injuries with some sweat I had worked up. Gross but effective.

I sat for hours with nothing but the dim light of winter to keep the darkness away. That was my only true fear as a child. Darkness. Maybe that's why firebending was came so easy to me. I didn't want to be in the dark anymore.

But the White Lotus had kept me in the dark. They locked me away for seventeen long, dimly lighted years. What good was that? How could I protect the world that way? My mind air scootered from problem to problem. Problems I couldn't solve with brute force. This made me fall into a slump of depression. I couldn't save the city. I couldn't airbend. I couldn't defeat Tarrlok. I couldn't save Tahno...

This issue came up often. I blamed myself entirely for it. I wasn't strong enough to break those ropes. I wasn't smart enough to see the Equalists coming. What was I then? Hotheaded? Quick to act? Like Sokka. My... brother-in-law? A quiver shimmed up my spine. The thought of having the great Avatar Aang as a past life scared me. He mastered all the elements in a year. I let my friends get taken to jail. I let out a yell of fire. Smashing my hands against the box, I let it all out. All of my rage.

After a few minutes of thrashing and screaming, a thought popped into my head. The thought replaced my angst with inspiration. I am Aang.

I let this sink in a moment. I wasn't a failure. My story wasn't over yet. Far from it. It is only the beginning of a new chapter. Once my breathing had returned to normal I sat in the middle of the box. I concentrated on making a connection to the Spirit World All thoughts were let go. Familiar images began to play like a movie projector across my closed eyes. As the sun sank below the horizon, the darkness set in it's place. No longer would I cower from it. I would embrace it. I felt myself slip back and forth between realities. I let the darkness swallow me.

It all happened so fast. Amon bursting in, Tarrlok getting his bending taken away, my escape. All I could think was what the hell was Amon? Bloodbending didn't work on him. I stored that useful fact into my memory. Sledding away from the scene I felt a twang of nostalgia. Master Katara had taught me how to penguin slide. She said it was Aang's favorite pass-time, besides maybe flying.

I had used up too much of my energy for my escape. My breathing became unnaturally fast. Purple dots blurred my vision. Then...tree.

I lay in a heap by the object that had gotten in my way. I heard footsteps close by. It couldn't end like this. I prayed to the spirits. Okay. A little Avatar State wouldn't hurt right now. But it was all in vain. My head was spinning too much. I was going to pass out before they got to me. My eyes closed for what was probably the last time...

Something warm, wet, and rough rubbed across my face. "Naga!" I moaned. "That'a girl."

My body had never been through so much strain. Images flashed across my closed eyelids. The ability to tell if they were real or not had been lost before I passed out. Naga carried me all the way back to the city. Or at least that's what my mind was telling me. It was also telling me Naga was a platypus-bear. Warm arms gently took me out of the saddle. His face was blurred but the brightness of his scarf made me certain of who was rescuing me. My lips formed a small smile. I was safe.

He burned quickly. It made me excited to know I had done this. Adrenaline pumped faster through my veins. I had killed Amon. It was so simple too.

I had snuck out of the dark cell he was keeping me in. My body did not ache as much as it had before. My captors must have healed me. How thoughful. There were a few guards, but I kept to the shadows. He was outside, facing the city he had terrorized. Instinct took over. I crept up behind him, not yet lighting my fingertips for fear of being seen. Then I struck. Forcing my palm into his spine I let my rage and pain fill my hands. There was no struggle. Not a sound was uttered. He went up in ten seconds flat.

"Revenge is a bitch isn't it?" I screamed menacingly. My sanity was slipping. "That was for Tahno!" Why was I still talking? The Lieutenant and other Equalists must have heard me because rooms of their HQ blazed with light suddenly.

My recent kill had made me cocky. Let them come, I thought. My fists raised into fighting position. I was almost disappointed when only one man came out. "Korra?" he asked with...was that concern? I laughed madly again. I didn't care that I was slipping. He stopped a few feet in front of me, looking back and forth between me and Amon. "How does it feel?" I called, "to have your leader murdered?"

I didn't wait for his response. Thousands of gallons of water shot up from the aqueducts below. I had felt them the second I woke up earlier. I turned to leave only to be puzzled by sound of the water being stopped up. He was an earthbender. Little water had got through before he had closed the route I made for it. Dizzy spells rolled over me but I ignored them. I swayed back towards the youth to size him up. My age. Broad shoulders. Slightly curled hair. I wondered if Amon kept him around just for his looks. Had he known this kid was a bender?

Earth wrapped around my hands and arms in the form of crude handcuffs. No problem. My Sifu Hotman (He hated my nickname for him. It just seemed so right to call him that) had trained me to bend fire without my hands. I sucked in air only to exhale it as fire. I missed. He took his chance to restrain me for sure this time. Everything but my head was covered.

He dared to approach me. I struggled even though I knew it was no use. The Equalist created a small shield of rocks to protect himself from my Dragon Style bending. "Korra?" he asked again. This time I recognized the voice. "Bolin?" I sputtered.

My mind was starting to clear. The adrenaline slowly left my body. I had smashed down my own door. I had snuck past White Lotus guards. I had "killed" a practice dummy. I had fought Bolin. What was happening to me? I already knew the answer. I had hit that tree a little too hard. My brain was playing tricks on me. I broke down into tears once Bolin let me go.

Days passed and I still wasn't allowed out of my room. The only one I had for company was Howl, the guard I had known forever. We played Pai Sho, but that was pretty much the only thing we did. He had been assigned to watch me because of the suicidal threats I said during the first few days I had been cooped up. I don't remember saying anything along those lines. I didn't remember much these days. I was regaining my sanity as an excruciatingly slow pace.

I thought I had come into the light. Left the darkness behind. Finally found my way. I was still trapped. Trapped in the Darkness