Asami had always prided herself on her good sense of direction, but after passing the same cracked masonry three times and walking until her legs were sore, she was forced to admit she was lost. At least it smelled better here. Clean, fresh earth and sweet air. So far the maze appeared to be entirely ordinary, the sort of thing Wu might set up in his back garden once he returned to Ba Sing Se. Every few minutes, Asami would hear vague, indistinct voices from far away. Others who were brave enough to walk the maze? Amon? Just how many prisoners did Dizang have? But there was no sign of them or of exit, which left plenty of time to ponder her own thoughts.

She had to unlock her chakras. What did she remember about them? Her education had been relentlessly practical. There were seven pools of energy in the body where chi gathered before flowing on. The targets her instructors had trained her to aim for when neutralizing an opponent. Base of the spine for earthbenders, the stomach for firebenders, the groin for waterbenders and non-benders. Hitting the light chakra in the center of the forehead could briefly stun a combustion bender, assuming there were others besides P'Li. But of the larger, spiritual meaning she knew little. Each represented an aspect of existence and was blocked by some vice or other. And there was…an order you had to unlock them in. She closed her eyes and remembered the symbols on the walls. Earth, water, fire, air, sound, light, and thought.

So the first test was earth. Which apparently was a test of patience. Or not dying of boredom.

Earth is the foundation upon which all is built. Dizang sounded almost wise. So it is with the chakras. First you must survive.

A sob rang through the air. "Asami!" cried Mako. He sounded close by. Asami forgot the pain in her legs as she ran toward him. Had rescue arrived already? The stone shifted around her, fading away to reveal her bedroom at the mansion. Mako, his family and Wu stood around the bed. Wu sobbed and buried his face in Tu's neck. And on the bed was her own lifeless body, neck and arms twisted in unnatural angles, eyes sightless.

Mako seized her hand as she had once seen him take Korra's. "No! Asami, you have to fight this." His head whipped around to Chow. "Tell Jinora to try again."

Asami dashed to Mako. "I am fighting, sweetie. I'm right here." But when she moved to take him in her arms, her hands went right through him as if he were no more than an air.

"I should have fought harder." He kissed her fingers one by one and then her lips, as if he were hoping she was like a princess from the old tales, but the Asami on the bed never moved. Mako let her hand fall. There were tears in his eyes.

But you're going to die here. Dizang's mocking tone had returned. You're a human in the Spirit World, hopelessly ignorant and outclassed. As you have always been. Those self-defense classes you're so proud of couldn't do anything against a spirit. You live your life on sufferance. It's only a matter of time before you end up just like what you see. You'll leave Mako, just like your mother left your father. Just like Korra left you. Do you think he'll go crazy?

Asami took a deep, steadying breath. This was only an illusion, a test. "None of this has happened yet. None of it will happen."

You keep telling yourself that. But you terrified. You're going to end up just like Gama, whimpering in your cell.

There was sweat on her hands. Survival was blocked by fear, wasn't it? Yes, that seemed right. And yes, she was afraid. She had been afraid when the Agni Kai came from her mother, afraid when her father came after her in that mech. "It could happen. But I'm not just going to sit around waiting for it. I'm already in this maze. You can't stop me with a few visions."

Mako and the body vanished. Asami let out a breath. One down.

You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? I was just buying time for you to meet another old friend. Or several.

And between one eyeblink and the next, Asami was surrounded by chiblockers. In the center of the group stood three figures. The Lieutenant was as she remembered him, sneering and with kali sticks at the ready. The second figure Asami had never seen before. It wore combat leathers and heavy boots and one of the electric gloves. There was a vague suggestion of feminine curves, but she was tall for a woman, a little taller than Asami herself. Her face was covered by a dark helm, with tubes where the mouth should be.

And beside her was Amon. Asami had seen him in person only once before and never without his mask. His coat and armor were as dirty and travel-stained as Tarrlok's suit, and the mask and hood were long gone. He might have been handsome once, but his hair was unkempt and his eyes were wild. Asami dropped into a fighting stance. There were eight of them altogether. She had taken down chi blockers and the Lieutenant before, and Amon didn't have his bending. Most of them were probably more illusions anyway. She could do this.

"How did you get here? Did Tarrlok bring you?" Amon asked His voice was slightly slurred, holding none of the command or terror he had had in life. His eyes brightened with a manic glow. "You must be a test. Dizang is always testing. If I kill you, I can return to the world and begin my revolution anew. Attack!"

The chi blockers and Lieutenant swarmed her. They were faster than Asami remembered, and she was assaulted by an endless stream of punches and kicks. One of the chi blockers hit her in the jaw, sending Asami's head snapping backwards. Okay, so they weren't all illusions.

Oh, most of them are. But lessons without pain are no lessons.

Asami repaid the punch with a shock from her electrical glove. These illusions can hurt me, but I couldn't touch Mako? That doesn't make any sense. There were rules in the spirit world, just like there were rules in the physical world. It was simply a matter of learning them.

Ignorant girl! Within this school, my word is law. The only rule is that the student must learn. Science will not help you here. Nothing will help you here. You exist on my sufferance. You have always existed on sufferance. Did you think you were skilled because you could handle a handful of chi blockers? That's nothing compared to a bloodbender. Or the Red Lotus. Even the Agni Kais would burn you to ash. Poor little mortal fighting gods.

The Lieutenant attacked. Asami twisted, using his momentum to send him sailing to the ground. This was a test of courage, not combat skill. She stared at Amon who had not yet moved to attack but was staring at her with undisguised hatred. "Do they know that you're a fraud? The very thing they hate?" She pointed at the armored woman. "Who's your friend? Did you tell her what you are? Or is she one of the illusions?"

"I'm as real as anything else in this place." Her voice was mechanical and her breath came in hissing gasps through the tubes. "And you're hardly one to talk about frauds."

Amon smiled a predator's smile. "I found Jingzi… I don't remember when. A century ago? She knows what I am. What Yakone did to me. Together we will cleanse the world."

"Bending is a corruption. It hurts innocent people. It destroyed my life. Amon's life. Even your life." Jingzi took Amon's hand. "But once you are gone, he and I can escape and be together. We will finish what he started." Her hand traveled up Amon's arm. "Join us. Accept us. You've suffered too. The Equalists are the only hope we regular humans have. Join us and we can make sure no other little girl loses her parents."

"No. I didn't join my father, and I'm certainly not going to join a delusional armored thing who's dating a psychopath."

"I warned you," Amon said as if they were discussing the weather. "End her, darling, and our new life can begin."

Whoever had trained Jingzi was good. Her movements were graceful and powerful with no wasted motion, and it took every bit of strength Asami's exhausted body possessed to dodge her movements. The only sound was their harsh breathing as they sparred. Jingzi's hand was wreathed in lightning as she pulled her arm back, leaving the smallest of openings. Asami readied a strike to her sternum and—

—and fell to her knees. Every breath felt as if it were squeezed out. Knives pierced her lungs, her stomach, her throat as her arms spasmed. Amon wavered before her as he stared at his hands. Bloodbending. He was bloodbending her. He was nothing but a spirit and he was bloodbending her.

I told you. I make the rules. Still think bending is nothing to be frightened of? Maybe your father had a point.

Asami had no reply. Every moment was more of a fight as her vision darkened. She was going to die. What happened to someone who died here? Were they still trapped? Allowed to move on? Tossed into the Fog of Lost Souls? She had tried and she had failed before she had even begun. Her nails scraped the stone. Sorry, Mako. Sorry, Korra.

"Let her go!" Tarrlok's voice rang through the room, and there was something of the task force leader in his voice. "You are better than this, Noatak!"

"Brother," Amon said, almost warmly. "I'm only doing what must be done. Jingzi and I are the only hope this revolution has. And the traitor has to die for her to be free. We'll undo everything Yakone did."

"There is no revolution anymore. We're dead. The best we can hope for is to end this miserable existence. Wasn't that enough for you once? A new life with me?"

"It wasn't enough for you. You wanted to kill me."Asami could no longer see Amon's face, but he sounded like a petulant child. "We can do so much more. End our father's corruption forever. And be a family. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Let her go, Noatak. Or you'll never get what you want."

Amon must have wavered, because the vice around Asami's lungs loosened the tiniest fraction. She dragged herself to her feet. "Get…get out. You're just a ghost. You can't hurt anyone anymore."

Amon opened his mouth to say something, but vanished before her eyes as if he had never been there. Jingzi followed a moment later, and the next thing Asami knew she had crumpled into Tarrlok's arms. She shivered and gasped for breath. I could have died. The thought repeated itself over and over like a mantra. I could have died.

But you didn't. Now it's one down. Well done, my student. Of course there are six more to go.

Tarrlok put his hand under Asami's neck and held her as her breathing steadied. "Easy. Take a deep breath. In and out. Good."

Asami wasn't sure how long she lay there. Her body was caked in sweat and a dull soreness settled over her arms and legs. But there was something-a lightness, a tingling—at the base of her spine. The first spark of energy. Chi flowing through her body. She lifted her head. "Is it always like this?" Her voice was raspy and her lips were cracked.

"Mortal terror and breaking every rule you ever knew about bending or spirits?" he asked with a faint smile. "I'm afraid so. Dizang will do anything to see us suffer. Including returning my brother's bending. But you survived."

"Because of you." Asami ignored the protest in her muscles and forced herself into a sitting position. "What are you doing here?"

Tarrlok bowed his head and it took him a few moments to answer. "I hurt you, Asami. I hurt Avatar Korra. I used to dream of finding some way to make up for that, but there's no atonement. I couldn't even put an end to Noatak's madness. But you opened your first chakra, which means you might be able to escape this place. I can help, if you'll have me."

Her only ally in this place was the man who had jailed and bloodbent her. But she had no other friends here. And after Amon and Jingzi, she needed them. "No funny business."

Tarrlok flexed his fingers. "I don't seem to have my waterbending, if that's what you are worried about. And after that display, I'm in no hurry to challenge you to a fight. And I swear upon what little honor I have left that I'm not going to betray you."

It would have to do. "Do you know where I can find the next challenge?"

He helped her to her feet. "It's one I know well. Come."

It grew colder and colder as Tarrlok led her to the right and to the left and to the left again. Asami's teeth chattered, but Tarrlok didn't seem bothered by the cold. He didn't speak as they walked, but seemed lost in his own thoughts. He walled like a man going to his execution. Water flowed somewhere nearby. Asami licked her dry lips. Water. It hardly mattered if it was another of Dizang's tricks. There was water nearby.

Food and water. Such simple pleasures. But do you deserve pleasure? Even you have made mistakes.

Mako appeared before her. Not as he was now, but with spiky hair and his father's scarf wrapped around his neck. "The Triple Threats are willing to make a deal." He scowled. "If you give them the tanks, they'll provide security to the shipment."

Another memory. She had been so desperate then. Future Industries have been on the brink of collapse. She had been thrust unprepared into leadership. The war was supposed to have been her salvation. All she had to do was sell weapons to criminals. "I—"

Her mother's voice, gentle even in this memory of a memory. "No, you can't build something to help you push Jun into the mud. You're my brilliant little girl, but you have to use that to help people. Never to hurt them."

And how many did the Triple Threats kill with those weapons? How many did they hurt?

Asami gritted her teeth. Nine deaths linked to stolen Future Industries technology. Several dozen had been injured. And Varrick had been playing them for fools the entire time. "It wasn't worth it, Mako. I should have been braver. I was braver. We spent weeks tracking down the stolen weapons, remember?" She rose to her gaze to the sky to where she hoped Dizang was watching. "Yes, I have made mistakes. But I fix them. I don't wallow in them."

And sometimes there is no fixing.

The scene shifted, and it was Korra who stood before her. Vibrant, skin glowing with health and energy, wolftails whipping in the wind. Asami's heart caught somewhere around her throat and didn't leave. She had forgotten how beautiful Korra had been. How very alive. But she was frowning just as Mako had been. "I'm doing the right thing, getting this gold for the Earth Queen, right?"

Asami opened her mouth to tell her that it was a waste of time and the Earth Queen was atyrant who would be dead soon anyway, but what came out was "I don't see how you have a choice. The important thing is finding more airbenders." Exactly as she really had told Korra.

There are no takebacks, Asami. You must live with everything you've done large and small. Of course, most of the people in that village are destitute now because you took the last of their gold. But whatever Korra wanted was what you wanted. Everything you have and everything you are was supposed to be used to help the less fortunate. Instead, you defended a monster. And you and Future Industries are securing the throng for a man who couldn't govern his way out of a paper bag. Talk about Team Avatar all you want, but your mother would be so disappointed in you.

"That's not true!" She had fought the Equalists. Future Industries philanthropic giving had tripled under her leadership. Thousands had homes, food, and jobs because of her. She had used her gifts well. She had nothing to be ashamed of. That little village was going to be connected to every other village by high-speed rail. Kuvira's forces would bring them food and medicine. In time, the Earth Kingdom would be stable enough that Asami could open new branches there. She had been tricked into taking that money, but she would pay it back a thousandfold. Wu was already an improvement on his great-aunt. Tu had been good for him. He might actually care about those villagers. He just needed time and experience. Asami could help.

So that's why you work so hard for the Earth Kingdom. It's not merely Korra's legacy that you're preserving, it's your own. Help the poor that you can. You can silence that little voice in your head that tells you that you should have been braver. You should have let Future Industries burn rather than work with Varrick. You should never have helped the Earth Queen. But you can't buy absolution.

"No you can't." Asami squared her shoulders. "You said it yourself: there are no takebacks. All I can do is learn from my mistakes. I knew that before I came here."

Well done. You are much less constrained by your guilt than the other one. This hasn't been educational at all. There was a long pause before Dizang spoke again. The other one. There's an idea.

Asami turned back to watch as Tarrlok sent a water whip at her, encasing her wrist. His mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out. Shadows appeared around them: metalbenders and protesters packed behind the police barricade. "Round up these Equalists." The words sounded as if they had been ripped from Tarrrlok's throat.

"They're not Equalists. They're just normal people who want their rights back." The words were forced from Asami's throat. No. No. This is just a memory. It isn't real. But her arm jerked back against her bonds. "Let me go!"

"You can't do that!"

"Actually I can. She's out past curfew and her father is a known Equalist terrorist." Her gaze locked with Tarrlok's and she could see two of them, one superimposed over the other like a badly exposed photograph. The bully who had imprisoned her to increase his own power and because he could and a frightened broken man begging her to do something.

"Tarrlok," she tried. "This isn't real." Her words were as much effort as her breaths had been.

He didn't move. They were standing in his office at City Hall. Mako, Bolin, Lin, and Tenzin surrounding them. Tarrlok's page pointed a finger at him. "He bloodbent Avatar Korra!"

"Don't make this worse for yourself." Tenzin dropped into an airbending stance. "Tell us where you have Korra."

One by one, the others prepared to fight. Tarrlok's eyes bulged, and he raised his hands. Asami knew what came next. She was going to be bloodbent again because Tarrlok was trapped in his private prison of memory. Unless she could find a way to stop it.

"All my years trying not to be his son and it was all undone in one day. Nothing I did mattered." His arm twisted and Asami fell to her knees.

Think. She had to think. There had to be someone I to reach him, free him, free them both. But Tarrlok kept mothering "Nothing I did mattered" as the phantoms fell around her. He had saved her from his brother only to kill her himself because he was trapped by his guilt.

A light went on in Asami's head. "You're right. Nothing you did mattered."

Tarrlok's arm fell and he looked at her in surprise.

Asami continued on. "Chief Beifong broke me out of prison. We found Korra. The Equalists were defeated. The Council is gone. We have an elected president. A non-bender." His grip loosened, and Asami stood. "Look at me. You didn't leave any scars. I run Future Industries. We have a big contract with the city and the Earth Kingdom. All the bad things you did? They didn't matter."

Tarrlok blinked, and he was back in the present. "Really?"

"Really."

The last of the bloodbending grip faded, and the phantoms vanished. Tarrlok collapsed into a sitting position. "Thank you," he whispered.

Asami sat beside him. "Just repaying the favor." Anything else seemed inadequate or a lie.

"I really did no lasting harm?"

"Trust me, corrupt politicians and genocidal revolutionaries seem almost quaint after the last three years. Republic City is better than ever. The only thing that lasted from those days is Team Avatar." Asami smiled sadly at the memory." Or at least it lasted for a long time."

"You said Korra was ill. What's happened since… since I've been away?"

"It's a long story."

"We have a long journey the next trial. Please, Asami. I need to know that there's more than this—" he gestured around the maze. "—to the world."

He looked like a polar bear puppy that had been kicked. Whatever he had been before, he didn't deserve this madness. And he had helped her. A Sato always paid her debts. "On three conditions. One: warn me if were about to go into a situation where you start bloodbending." What had just happened was more Dizang than him, but still…

"This place is the definition of unpredictable, but I'll do my best."

"Two:" Asami thought for a moment. "How much do you know about spirits and the spirit world? Or the chakras? I'm a little—well, a lot—out of my element."

"You need a guru and I'm the only one available. I'm flattered." He smiled at her. "I can heal, and I was the second-best student after Unalaq."

Asami winced at the mention of Unalaq's name. This was either a brilliant idea world was going to be a disaster. But that tingling had spread upwards. She had to believe that she was on the right path. "You really have missed a lot."

"So it seems. And the third thing?"

Asami managed a smile of her own. "You help me find where that water is coming from. I'm thirsty."

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Asami took a drink from the water skin Tarrlok had loaned her. The path here was worn smooth by many feet and the air smelled of old parchment. The angles seemed more natural here, the shadows less oppressive. As if it was meant to be comprehended by the human mind.

"I was always trapped by the water chakra, so no, I'm not sure." Tarrlok shrugged. "But the next chakra is fire, and it does seem to be getting warmer, so I'm choosing to take that as a good sign. The fire chakra deals with willpower."

"And anyone who wants to survive here has to have a strong will." She took another sip. Why her spirit should still feel thirst here was a mystery. Her…body with all its physical needs was still in Republic City. She wondered how long it had been. It felt like no more than a few hours, but her feelings were subject to the whims of Dizang.

I do nothing on a whim. Everything you feel, everything you see, every challenge you face, is for your improvement. You summoned me after all. As your friend and his brother did. It's not my fault humans have become so weak and dull.

"Do you hear him in your head, too?"

"Sometimes. I try very hard to block it out."

You shouldn't. I'm only trying to teach. But if you can't even accept that you asked for this, you'll never get anywhere. The walls shifted before her eyes. Where there had once been multiple forks, there was only a long corridor reaching into the darkness. Come. I think it's time you learned more of this school.

Asami looked at Tarrlok. "Is it just me, or does this seem like a trap to you?"

"I think everything's a trap here, but what choice do we have? Just keep your mind on the fire chalra. Willpower is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of?"

Asami opened her mouth to tell him that was a personal question, but she was the one who had asked for a teacher, and she supposed that implied personal questions. "My father."

Tarrlok made a noncommittal noise and Asami raised an eyebrow. "What? Having a bigot who tried to kill me and my friends as my only family isn't something to be ashamed of? Aren't you ashamed of your father and brother?"

"No. I'm ashamed of myself. Bloodbending is the darkest of the bending arts, and it's part of me. It was a poison even before, well, you saw."

"No lasting harm," Asami reminded him. "And once the Red Lotus are taken care of and Wu gets his throne back, the world will be more peaceful and prosperous than ever. There's an Air Nation now. Thanks to Korra. Thousands of people all over the world uniting to restore a lost culture."

"I'm surprised you weren't one of them, as close as you were to the Avatar I thought the spirituality might rub off on you. Do you ever wish you were?"

Asami shrugged. "I like meat too much. And I have my own culture and background. I don't need to be grafted into Tenzin's." She was proud of what she was. The Satos had been Fire Nation colonists, but they had been among the first to come to Zuko and Aang's side. Her mother's family had helped bring down the New Ozai Society in Omashu. She didn't need airbending to fly.

"Still, better you than someone like Zaheer. I was only an undersecretary when he was captured the first time, but I know of the Red Lotus and what they planned." He shuddered. "And they're still out there. Flying and lavabending and who knows what else."

"We'll get them," Asami assured him. "Kuvira's rooting out cells all the time. By the time Korra recovers, they'll be so weak that they won't dare try anything." And Korra would recover. She would be strong enough to take down the Red Lotus or dark spirits or whatever else threatened the world.

But what if she doesn't recover. What if it's down to people like you and Mako to save the world?

"Korra will come back," Asami whispered. "She will."

The corridor led them to a door of polished bronze. A dragon, a flying bison, a badgermole, and Tui and La had been engraved into the surface. Asami ran her fingers over them. Unlike the rest of the school, there was nothing decaying or sinister here. The animals and spirits were beautifully and intricately carved, and the door was clean and unmarked. Asami tried the handle, and the door swung in easily.

A cheery fire crackled at one end of a long gallery. The carpet was plush and red under her feet. Paintings done in the style of the Fire Nation royal portraits adorned the walls. Men and women from every nation meditating opposite a spirit. Dizang. But not the Dizang who had captured her. The silver and gold of his body were no longer dull, and his lion's face was wise and kind. "Why have you come," asked one of the Dizang's of the portraits. "You are the chief of a great city and you have been blessed with the gift of fire."

"It is not enough, Sifu Dizang," replied the man in Fire Nation robes who knelt opposite him. "My brother was the one meant to be chief, while I was meant to be a soldier. I know nothing of the art of ruling. Teach me."

"You wish to be more than you are?"

Another portrait spoke, a warrior in Water Tribe robes and bear's head. "Teach me of healing, Sifu. For I am injured."

"It is not enough to be a warrior?"

"I cannot be a warrior if I am injured."

And yet another portrait. "Teach me to kill," said an earthbender. "For my neighbor has wronged me, and I will receive no justice from the king."

"You wish to kill?" Dizang sounded angry and disbelieving. "You who can craft such beautiful things of stone?"

"Beauty did not save me."

And on and on the portraits went, each request more petty than the last. By the time a young airbender begged him to teach her to become airball champion, Asami was starting to understand how a spirit might go a little mad.

You see? Humans can barely see beyond their own noses. No wish for enlightenment for its own sake, only as a means to an end. Every day, there are more of you, grasping and greedy. And now you come here in the flesh! I tried the old ways, I really did. You have no idea how much pickles and banana juice I went through before I built this maze. But you simply will not learn.

"So this was your solution. Kidnapping people and tormenting them? It doesn't bother you that your students are gibbering wrecks?" Asami glared at the nearest portrait of Dizang. "People can be petty and foolish and cruel, but they can also be wise and kind and, yes, enlightened."

Dizang laughed. Was that supposed to convince me to let you go? I'm not some prisoner waiting for an inspiring speech. And you are closer to these students you despise than you admit. At Dizang's words the fire in the grate burned white-hot and the portraits fell to the ground. Behind them were windows into a dozen cells just like the ones that had held her and Gama. In each was a prisoner in various states of dishevelment. As with his students, Dizang hadn't discriminated between young or old, rich or poor, male or female. Can you guess what they have in common? How they all summoned me? How you did?

The flame leaped higher, spilling out of the great and onto a carpet that did not burn. The fire rushed towards her, filling Asami's vision. She threw up her hands out of instinct and stepped back, but it was no good. The flame surrounded her. Tarrlok shouted her name. This is familiar to you, is it not? Being surrounded by flame?

The fire receded and she sat in her bedroom. But not her bedroom as it was now. There were paints and child-sized tools. Her mother, impossibly elegant and beautiful knelt beside her. "Sweetie, you'll make a mess," she said, but she smiled when she did.

"I won't make a mess," Asami said and knocked over a can of paint. "Well, not a very big mess."

I remember this. I was building a birdhouse per day at the night—oh, no.

There was a loud knock on the bedroom door. "Come out!" said a rough, savage voice.

Her mother's eyes went wide. "Asami, into the closet! Now."

Asami cringed. The look on her mother's face was even scarier than the loud voices. "I want to help you, Mommy."

"Help me by hiding." Her mother wrapped her arms around her. "I love you."

But when Asami came out of the closet and found a burned, blackened thing, she knew that she hadn't helped at all.

Asami took a deep breath. She would not break. She would not."My mother death?" You'll have to do better than that."

As you wish.

The heat was gone. Asami stood in the snow. Korra had her arm around Tonraq as they limped towards Oogie. Her face was scratched and bruised, but there was fire in her eyes. The Avatar, even now. "This is my fight. I have to be the one to close the portal." She turned to Tenzin and his siblings. "You guys think you can find Jinora?"

"No dark spirit is going to take my niece and get away with it!" Bumi clapped a hand on Tenzin's shoulder. "Right?"

Korra nodded. "Mako, Bolin. I need you to stop Unalaq while I closed the portal."

Tonraq groaned in pain and frustration. "I should…go with you. Help."

"No, Dad, you're injured." She turned towards Asami. "Can you take Oogie and my dad back to the healing hut?"

Asami bit her lip. She could do more than that. She should do more than that. The battle with Unalaq and Vaatu would decide the fate of the world for the next ten thousand years. Korra couldn't ask Asami to be a mere spectator. Even with the biplane downed, she could still fight. Help the brothers take on Desna and Eska. Not just putter around a healing hut like a helpless little girl. She had to fight for her very existence. She had—

She had no chance against a dark spirit. Asami mounted Oogie and helped Tonraq into the saddle.

And that wasn't even the last time you had to sit and watch.

She stood on Laghima's Peak. Zaheer was encased in stone, and the freed airbenders crowded around her, but Asami had eyes only for Korra. She bled from dozens of wounds large and small. Her eyes glowed white, but her every breath was a rattle and Asami knew she was dying. Korra was dying. No. No. She couldn't be dying. But her eyes closed and her head turned to the side.

Asami wrung her hands. "I love you," she whispered, to quietly for anyone else to hear. She loved Korra. All those touches and flirtatious glances, but she hadn't figured it out until this moment. "You can't die." She wished suddenly that she was an airbender who could force the air back into Korra's lungs, a waterbender who could heal, a metalbender who could help draw the poison out. But she could only watch with everyone else as Suyin worked and Korra took a fitful breath.

I thought you said that you didn't want to be an airbender? That you were proud of what you were?

Asami screwed her eyes shut. "I am proud. No one else could have done what I've done. Rebuilding Republic City alone—"

Isn't enough. For all your money, all your smarts, all the advantages you have, you've still been helpless when it mattered. If Zaheer decides he wants to escape or some Earth Kingdom warlord decides he thinks Wu will make a lousy king, you won't do much about it.

"I'll fight as I always have. Just like I fought against the Equalists."

As if a man in a mask with electrified swords could compare to the embodiment of chaos. You are weak, Asami. And that shames you. You will never be strong enough to protect what you love. That's why you summoned me. You want to be more than you are.

"I didn't—I am not weak."

You want to be more. They all did. You summon me again and again because you want to learn and grow stronger. And you will risk the maze to do it.

"You're right. You aren't." Tarrlok's voice came from very far away. "Wanting more knowledge and power doesn't make you weak. It makes you ambitious. And ambition is what created civilization. Embrace it."

He was right. Asami wanted more. She wanted to be smart enough to remake the world. She wanted to beat back the Red Lotus wherever they appeared. She wanted to stand with Mako and Korra as an equal, not merely the Princess who needed protecting. "Yes, I want it all. I will get out of here, and I will have learned."

Power flowed through her stomach and the fire burned within her.