The Original Nature of the Heart
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She was horrified and crying and very, very cold. A man carried her in his arms. Looking over his shoulder, the girl could almost see the flickering of flames against the darkness. The loud and angry voices of men echo in the distance.
And then the darkness falls. The light is swallowed by the void. Her consciousness drifts away as the cold embraces her.
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"Let Xai Bau do what needs to be done."
"No. Not now."
"What do you mean 'not now'?"
"It just… It just doesn't have to be this way..."
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The girl woke up, gasping for air. A man sat cross-legged beside a fire. He looked up from the book he was reading to acknowledge her. His hair was tied back in a ponytail. He had a scar on his left eyebrow and his ears were swollen and slightly misshapen.
"You're up early."
The girl is confused. She looked around frantically, beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. The sun is barely rising over the mountains.
"W-Where am I? Where are my mom and dad?" Her lips quivered.
"Don't worry. You're safe now. Your mother... And father," he diverted his eyes away from her gaze, "There was nothing left when we arrived."
"What? No. That's... You're—You're lying!" She is about to stand when the man seized her arm swiftly.
"It's dangerous out there! They're searching for you as we speak. If they find you—"
"Let go of me!"
While the girl struggled to free her arm from the man's vice-like grip, a small flame burned in her other hand. She quickly yanked her arm away as the fire kissed his cheek.
She's going to escape. Run back home and never look back. Find her mom and dad and—
She made it over the hill, but collided into something hard. The girl fell back into the soft snow. A tall shadow loomed over her, obscuring the morning sun emerging from the horizon. The five year old girl's eyes fluttered open to see a giant woman towering over her. She had a tattoo in the center of her forehead and a severe kind of beauty. She looked and saw that the man was clutching his face.
"What the—what did you do!?" The woman shouted.
The giant woman rushed past the girl towards the man. Behind the woman are two other people. One was a man with long black hair and a goatee. By his side was a smaller woman. What set her apart from the others was her lack of arms. Instead, she had tentacles made entirely of water. The girl gasped and started to back away. The goatee man walked towards her.
"Hey. If you keep scooting back like that you're gonna—" the girl tumbles backwards down the hill, "fall off... the edge."
She got back on her feet only to see the tall women standing inches away from her.
"What's wrong with you? We're trying to help you!" The woman scowled at her. The girl glared back in return.
"It's fine. I'm okay." The man was standing behind her. A streak of vibrant red was visible on his left cheek. The girl stared daggers at the man.
"Don't you know who I am? I'm—"
"The Avatar. We're well aware." The man reached inside his coat and gave her a patch of cloth. Her eyes widened. It was burned and ragged, but she recognized it in a heartbeat. It is the symbol of her family. The one her father wears on his coat: a blue hexagon, with three triangles pointing outwards, and a white dot in the middle. Her hands trembled as she reached for it. Tears were running freely down her face.
"Who did this? Why did they do this? Why me?" Her voice broke. She fell to her knees; her small shoulders shook as she clutched the tattered piece of cloth.
"Do you remember those people who came to visit you?" She stared at him. She was finally listening to the truth. Good. "They are part of a secret society known as the Order of the White Lotus," the man continued, "They have been searching for you ever since Aang passed away, Korra."
The young Avatar was at a loss for words.
"They wanted to use you. They sent their agents out in the middle of the night to take you away from everything you knew. Your father and his fellow tribesmen tried to protect you, but by the time we got there, it was already too late."
"How do you know all this? Who are you guys?" She looked at the strangers standing before her. The people who apparently saved her. The people who want to help her.
"My name is Zaheer. That man over there is Ghazan and the woman standing next to him is Ming-Hua," Ghazan nodded at Korra and Ming-Hua raised a tentacle. Zaheer gestured towards the tall woman standing beside him, "And her name is P'Li. We are members of the Red Lotus."
Korra stifled a gasp. Zaheer could see what she was thinking in her eyes and continued to explain further.
"We are what the White Lotus originally stood for. After the Hundred Year War, the White Lotus lost its righteous way. Its members came out of hiding and openly served corrupt nations. So a wise man separated himself from the White Lotus and began his own rebellion against them."
"How were you guys able to find me?" Korra asked, wiping away stray tears. Her knees buckled underneath her as she tried standing up.
"We intercepted a message from the White Lotus that contained information regarding their plans to kidnap you," the woman, Ming-Hua said.
Korra sniffled and looked up at Zaheer, "What did you mean when you said the White Lotus wanted to use me?"
"The White Lotus want to turn you into a weapon that would carry out their agenda. They wanted you to become a servant to tyrants and despots. You are one of the most powerful beings in the universe. But there are people out there who want to control you, to enslave you. You're mind, body, and soul."
"What happens now? What's going to happen to me?"
"For now, we will help guide you on your path to becoming a fully realized Avatar by serving as your mentors," Zaheer proclaimed, "And in return, all we ask is that you will lead the Red Lotus into a new world order. We have so much to offer you."
These people... They found her. They saved her. And now they want to help her become stronger. Strong enough to take down the White Lotus. Take down the monsters who murdered her mother and father. Help her change the world and turn it into a better place.
Korra nodded her head.
"Okay."
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A/N: Thank you for reading!