"Miracles are things we make for ourselves. Here and now." ~Anon.
Korra wasn't one to dream. She was a pretty deep sleeper and normally difficult to rouse, but all that changed that night at the Equalist rally.
"Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity. That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away. Permanently."
She had thought it was impossible, but even as she insisted on it to herself, she watched in horror as the leader of the Triple Threat Triad, Lightning Bolt Zolt, fell victim to Amon's power, his bending gone for good. During those few moments, she hadn't taken note of it, and it wouldn't be till much later that she recognized it, but if she had smelled carefully as Amon used energy bending on the gang leader, she would have sensed the sickly stench of rotting meat.
She never got a full night sleep after that.
It all seemed so familiar, but she knew she had never been there before.
The hot muggy air was stifling. She felt sweat drip down from her forehead down her face, unable to evaporate in the saturated heat. Knotted vines hung from the branches of the gnarled trees. There were large lily pads. She couldn't help but grin to herself as she jumped from one to another, trying to avoid the muddy water beneath them.
She made it to the fifth lily pad when a small speck of light floated past her. She reached out to touch it, but it escaped her touch. She tried chase only to fall in the sickly water and lose the speck in the thickening fog. In the distance, she heard a flock of birds suddenly flutter off, their slumber disturbed by something hidden in the mist.
An unfamiliar feeling, fear, crept its way in to her heart, raising the hair on the back of her neck. As mystical as this place seemed, it was just as creepy. Avatar or not, this was a place to be respected and feared. That much even she knew.
"Hello? Is someone there?" She asked carefully, a slight squeak in her voice. When she received no answer, she tried to explore some more, but the fog was making it too difficult to see.
"Korra!"
Frightened by the voice, Korra immediately got into a bending position. "Who's there?"
"You can't bend here."
This voice felt familiar, much like the swamp did, but she knew she had never heard it before. To see if the voice was telling the truth, she tried bending. The water and mud did nothing despite her commands. She tried fire bending, but not even smoke came from her hands.
"Okay," she said. "I can't bend, but I'll have you know I'm not completely helpless."
"Oh, I know you aren't. I've been watching you."
"Who are you?"
Suddenly she felt someone's presence behind her. Her heart began a frantic pace and panic spread through her limbs like cold ice.
"Wake up!"
She awoke with a screech, like a firecracker had just gone off in her room. She looked to her side to see her best friend staring at her with a look of worry, or as much of an expression of worry as a polar bear-dog could give.
"It's okay, Naga," she said, more to herself then to her friend. "It was just a dream."
It was just a dream…
I hate writing chapters this short, but this is more or less me just testing the waters... Not sure if I'll continue it if no one likes it.
This is based off my theory on how Amon got his powers, so this will likely turn into an AU. It was also inspired by a Zutara fanfic I read some time ago called Half Asleep by The Crushinator. If you're a Zutara fan, go read it! It's awesome!
Please leave a review. If you want to know what exactly my theory is, send me a PM and I'll tell you