Disclaimers: I do not own The Legend of Korra

The Last Windbender

Book 1: Equality

Chapter 6: The Avatar's Fear

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Spirit talking"

Spirit thinking"

The present:

It was midnight in Air Temple Island. Everything was silent, and everyone was asleep. Except for one individual, that is. Caelum, as usual, was mediating instead of sleeping. He looked so peaceful, it was as if he was sleeping while sitting. Suddenly, he heard a scream that came from Korra's room. Caelum's eyes immediately snapped open and rushed toward's the voice. Once he arrived, he quickly opened the door. "Korra, are you okay!?" he yelled. Unfortunately, Korra's nerves still hadn't settled down from the nightmare she had about Amon and his followers a few seconds ago. As such, she began to panic and attack Caelum. She earthbent a column of stone underneath Caelum, who was launched against the roof so hard, he coughed up blood. "Urk, I'm going to feel that in the morning." Caelum thought to himself. "Korra, stop! It's me, Caelum!" he yelled once he reached the ground, but Korra was too scared and too full of adrenaline to listen. "Stay away from me!" she screamed. "Oh jeez, I don't want to use chi-blocking, but it's my only nonlethal option right now." Caelum said in his mind. "I'm sorry, Korra, but you need to calm down." he said. He dodged a blast of fire Korra sent towards him, and moved fluidly while dodging everything she threw towards him. Once he got close enough, Caelum chi-blocked Korra. "No, stop!" she yelled desperately. "I don't want my bending to be taken away!"

"Korra! It's me! Snap out of it!" Caelum yelled into her face. "C-Caelum?" Korra stammered. "Yes, it's me! Amon's not here. There is no way he could've sneaked in here without alerting everyone! It was just a nightmare." gasped out Caelum. Then he sank to his knees in pain. At this point, everyone was awake due to the brawl. Tenzin came in first. "Is everything alright?" He asked. "Everything's fine." Caelum wheezed. "Korra just had a nightmare."

Pema, who came next, let out a gasp. "What happened here?" asked Pema. "Korra had a nightmare." rasped Caelum. And finally, the airbender children came in as well. "Caelum? Are you okay? What happened?!" cried out Jinora. "It's fine. I'm alright. Korra just had a nightmare." wheezed Caelum. At this pint, he was pretty tired of repeating himself. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" cried out Korra. "Like I said, I am fine. I shouldn't have rushed in like that." replied Caelum. "Well, you still need to patch up. And no hard work for a week at least!" declared Pema. "But ma'am-" Caelum started to say. "No!" This time, it was Jinora who said it. "You need to rest!"

"B-but what about the Equalists, Jinora?" said Caelum. "They can wait!" Jinora replied, going into full protective-girlfriend mode. "Awww..." said Caelum dejectedly. After Caelum got treated, he helped Korra clean her room, despite her protests. He then went back to meditating in his room.

"We must lead a task force!"

"Absolutely not! Such a thing can deepen the rift between benders and non-benders."

The conversation was in City Hall the next day, where the council was debating what to do about Amon and his Equalists. In it, councilmen Tarrlok and Tenzin were currently debating how to solve the problem, with Tarrlok going for the more violent solution. "Why can't you see that this is the only solution, Tenzin?" questioned Tarrlok. "Violence will only provoke the Equalists! Besides, such matters don't have a single solution. And I'm sure that this is one of your ploys to get more power!" countered Tenzin. "It is not. Think back! Forty-two years ago, a man named Yakone threatened our city. Yet your father, late Avatar Aang, didn't have any trouble dealing with him personally."

"How dare you compare to my father!" said Tenzin in anger. "Amon is going attack every benders in this city eventually, not just the triads." said Tarrlok while ignoring Tenzin completely. "Vote for this task force and I will stop Amon before it's too late. All in favor?"

Every councilor raised their hands except for Tenzin, who glared at Tarrlok. Tarrlok banged the gavel. "Behold, a new start to peace!" he announced. mid the claps, Tenzin groaned.

After the Debate:

Evening fell over Republic City. In Air Temple Island, the airbenders and Korra are about to eat dinner. Tenzin was reciting the evening prayer. "We are grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion, and-" he started. "I hope I am not interrupting anything?" said a voice that Tenzin knew all too well. "Tarrlok, why are you here? My family, my guests, and I are eating dinner." said Tenzin as he glared at Tarrlok. "Why, I'm famished of course, and airbenders don't turn away hungry guests, right?" Tarrlok responded. "I suppose." sighed Tenzin. Tarrlok seated himself between Caelum and Korra. Caelum stared coldly at Tarrlok while Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo giggled. "Hey, why do you have three ponytails? And why do you smell like a lady? You're a wierdo, ponytail man." interrogated ikki as she sniggered. "Well aren't you a...daring young lady. So, Korra, I read in the papers about your feats. Your raid on Amon's rally, for example." said Tarrlok. "Oh, thanks. You're actually the first authority figure that wants me here." replied Korra. "Enough, Tarrlok, tell us why you're here." said Tenzin harshly. "Hmph. Well, I want Korra to join my task force. Someone who is fearless, like yo-" "No." said Korra. The onlookers were shocked to the core. Caelum even dropped his chopsticks. "Korra, I'm glad you didn't accept, but why? I thought you would be jumping for the chance to go against Amon?" Tenzin said at last, confused. "I am here to finish my training, I need to focus on that first." replied Korra. "Very well, Avatar Korra. However, I'm not going to stop. One way or the other, you will join my task force." said Tarrlok. As he stood up to leave however, Caelum spoke. "Councilman Tarrlok of the Northen Waer Tribe. Currently the second most dangerous man in Republic city." he said. "I beg your pardon?' asked Tarrlok with narrow eyes. "Everything you do in the senate, you claim it's for the city when in reality it's for your own benefit. I'll be watching you closely from now on." finished Caelum. "Are you threatening me, boy?" Tarrlok questioned. "No, just letting you know." replied Caelum. Tarrlok stared at him for a while, then exited the room. After a pause, Pema spoke. "Caelum, you shouldn't threaten a councilman." she gently admonished him. "I'm sorry. It's just that he bothers me, like he's hiding something sinister." said Caelum. "Well, let's ignore that for now, and finish our meal." declared Tenzin. Dinner went more smoothly after that.

After Dinner:

Night arrived, blanketing the entirety of Republic City. Korra was up late training for airbending while listening to the radio. All of a sudden, the radio was filled with static until Amon's voice started to speak. "My fellow Equalists, this is your leader, Amon. As you have heard, the Republic council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to squash our revolution. But we can not be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear." As Amon spoke, Korra started to sweat in cold fear, before the radio was turned off. "You should really stop being afraid of Amon, Korra."

Korra stared up to the owner of the voice, Caelum. "I-I'm not afraid of him!" she protested. "That's a lie, Korra, and you know it. You're afraid of his strange power. I offer you this wisdom: control the fear, or the fear will control you." he retorted before leaving Korra alone. The young Avatar just stood there, staring after him.

It was evening the next day. Korra busy scratching Naga's belly when she saw Bolin coming over for a visit. "Hello fellow teammate!" Korra glanced over and gave him a small smile. "Hey, Bolin." she greeted back. "So, missed you at this week's practice." said Bolin. Yeah, sorry about that, Bolin." apologized Korra. "Oh, don't worry about that. Unless we miraculously receive a bunch of cash tomorrow, we're out of the tournament. Anyway, the reason I came by was to give you this. Here you go!"

He gave Korra a rose and a cupcake with cherries on top. "Wow, uh, thanks. What's this for anyway?" she asked. "Wow, I don't know. Oh wait! You saved me from Amon, remember?" asked Bolin. "Oh, that? It was no big deal." Korra replied as she attempted to wave it off. "No big deal? I was totally freaking out when he was coming at me with his creepy mask and threatening to take my bending away! I mean that is pretty scary! I still can't sleep well." Bolin exclaimed. "Delivery for Avatar Korra!"

The voice belonged to a page, who approached the two with gifts. Tarrlok sends his compliments and urges you to reconsider his offer." the page informed. "Tell him I'm still not joining." she rebuked. The page simply bowed and went away. "Who's this Tarrlok? If you want, I can have a word with him." offered Bolton as he angrily glared at the retreating page's back. "He's just some old guy who works with Tenzin on the council. That's all." assured Korra. "Oh, Good! Good, that sounds a lot better." said Bolin. Just then, they spotted a dark figure with a staff sneak away towards the island shoreline. "Hey, whose that?" asked Bolin. "I thinks that's Caelum. He's one of the guys who saved you. He's also an airbender." replied Korra. The two continued to watch as Caelum glanced around warily before extending his staff and gliding away towards the city.

"A message for the Avatar!" said a page. It was the fourth time that week that Tarrlok tried to recruit Korra. He sent numerous gifts hat were all ignored,and Korra was getting frustrated. "Look, go tell Tarrlok to leave me alone and let it stay that way!" yelled Korra. She then earthbent the page around and promptly kicked him in the behind. "But it's an invitation!" said the page. "An invitation?" asked Caelum, who was present. "Yes. Councilman Tarrlok has prepared a gala in the honor of the Avatar. Would you be courteous enough to join? And of course, you could also invite the airbenders as well." informed the page as he held out an invitation. Korra, thought for a while, then nodded. "Thank you for your time." said the page as he retreated. Caelum turnd to Korra. "It's a trap." he said. "It is?" asked Korra. "You say to the person who knows about various political ways of gaining power." said Caelum sarcstically. Then he went back to being serious again. "Listen, whatever you do, avoid the press. Or at the very least, tell them that you don't think that joining the task force is a good idea due to insufficient training. If that doesn't work, I've got nothing."

"Okay. So, you coming?" asked Korra. "You bet. Jinora is going to be there. I can't wait!" exclaimed Caelum dreamily. Korra sweat dropped. Usually, Caelum could control his emotions pretty well, but when Jinora is mentioned, he goes all lovey-dovey. "Alright then, see you at the entrance." she said. "'Kay. I'll inform the others." replied the windbender.

At the party:

The Airbender Family, along with Korra and Caelum, arrived at the City Hall in formal attires. Caelum even changed his mask into a embroidered cloth one that covered the lower part of the face and his left eye. The airbender children ran ahead, while Caelum walked with Korra and Tarrlok. Eventually, Tarrlok introduce Korra to a middle-aged man, who was with Mako, Bolin, and a teenage girl. "Hello, Avatar. I am Hiroshi Sato." the man introduced himself. "I heard about you, Mr. Sato. You made the Satomobile and own the company Future Industries, right?" asked Caelum. Hisroshi looked surprised, before greeting Korra. Meanwhile, Caelum regarded Mako and the teenage girl next to him. "Hello, Mako. I presume that your date Is Asami Sato, daughter of Mr. Sato, yes?" he asked. The girl looked surprised as well. "Well, yes. And who are you?" she asked. "Caelum, resident airbender of Air Temple Island." replied Caelum. "How did the two of you meet?" asked Korra. "Oh, Asami crashed a moped into Mako one day. Now they are dating, and Future Industries agreed to back us!" informed Bolin. "Wow, er, you okay?" asked Korra with concern. "I'm fine. More than fine, actually." assured Mako as he looked at Asami. Caelum was about to comment as he saw the cute scene, until he saw Tarrlok beckoning Chief Lin over. "Well, that's my cue to leave as soon as possible. Bye, have a wonderful evening." he said as he hurried away. Very soon, he ran into Jinora. "Hi, Jinora!" he exclaimed with joy. "Isn't this party great?" she asked. "It would be better with you." replied Caelum slyly. Jinora giggled, before she lead Caelum by the hand with her. "So, where to, princess?" he asked mischievously. "Stop~! It's kinda embarrassing when you call me that. Anyway, let's get something to eat, then dance." said Jinora as she blushed. Caelum grinned. After a brief snack, the two danced in the dance floor. They used their airbender abilities to twist and turn gracefully around each other as they spun, finally ending with a bow to each other. "You're a really good dancer, Jinora." complimented Caelum. "Thanks. You too." replied Jinora. The two blushed at each other's words, before Caelum saw something that caught his eyes. Tarrlok and Korra were together, with Korra answering the press. "Avatar Korra, you witnessed Amon take away people's bending with your own eyes. How serious a threat does he pose to the innocent citizens of Republic City?" asked a reporter. "He...does pose a huge threat to this city." Korra admitted. "Then why haven't you joined Tarrlok's task force? Don't you think you should be out stopping him?" asked the same reporter. "Well, I-" started Korra. "Are you backing away from the fight?" asked another reporter. "No! I just-"

"Are you going back on your duties?"

"Why are you refusing to join Tarrlok?"

"Are you just afraid of Amon?"

"ENOUGH!" roared Korra. "I'm not afraid of Amon! If this city needs me to, then I'll...I'll join the task force." she surrendered. "Well folks, that's tomorrow's headlines." announced Tarrlok smugly. Korra looked at the crowd, searching the crowd for her familiars. Tenzin and Pema looked on sadly, while Asami, Mako, and Bolin glanced at her worryingly. Even the airbender children were worried. But it all paled in comparison from the saddnes that Caelum radiated from his eyes. She stared miserably at him as the press started to take photos.

A few days later since the gala, Korra had suited up into her task force uniform, which was remarkably similar to the police uniform. She was with other members, who were gathered around Tarrlok. "My fellow task force deputies." he began. "I have a source that said there is an underground chi-blocking training camp located in the Dragon Flats Burroughs. There is a cellar under this bookstore where the training camp is located. Tonight, we shall investigate. Let's move out!"

The group headed towards the location on a police truck with a large tank of water on it. Once they arrived, they immediately got off and the waterbenders bent the water out. Korra peered at the basement window and spotted a bunch of bandanna-wearing people training. She looked at Tarrlok, who smiled and gave the signal. The waterbenders flooded part of the basement, then froze it, trapping many Equalists inside the ice. Then earthbenders made a large gap for the rest of the forces to invade. The benders started to capture the rest of the Equalists. However, two escaped towards the back door. "I'll catch them!" yelled Korra as she gave chase. As she ran after them, she tripped on a tripwire and fell crashing down. As she flipped over on her back, she saw an uniformed Equalist bearing down upon her. But before the Equalist could strike her, a jet of water crashed into him before freezing him onto the wall. The jet of water was revealed to be sent by Tarrlok. "We make a rather good team, Avatar." he remarked. "Yeah." Korra begrudgingly agreed.

"Everyone, I have another lead." announced Tarrlok the next night. "There is another training camp in a warehouse down by the southern portion of the docks. The lead said that there are at least 30 trainees and 5 teachers, so be ready. Let's go!"

When they arrived, they surrounded the warehouse. The waterbenders bent the water from the sea while the earthbenders raised stone blocks. Korra joined the firebenders as they prepared to fight. But before they could attack, yells of alarm erupted from the warehouse. Confused, the would-be invaders went into the building, where they saw the Equalists circling around a dark figure wearing a mask. In fact, Korra recognized the mask. "Caelum? Oh, no. Tarrlok, we need to help him, he'll be overrun!" panicked Korra. The councilman looked thoughtful. "No, let's wait first." he decided as he gave the signal to stand down. "But-" Korra started to protest. "If we think that he's in trouble, we'll intervene. But this is the perfect opportunity to try and recruit your young friend." interrupted Tarrlok as he continued to watch. Caelum had started to attack at this point. He first leapt over the Equalists, startling them. He then quickly launched blasts of wind with his fists, taking out a few of of the enemy. The Equalists retaliated, with two of them chi-blocking Caelum. However, their plan backfired as he unblocked his points. Then he delivered a kick to their face and started to chi-block them, as well as delivering more kicks and punches. He took out half of the entire group. Caelum then unslung his staff and unfurled the bottom wings, as well a spearhead. He spun it with his right hand, his other had forming a compressed sphere of swirling wind. Then he struck, slashing Equalists with the spear and smashing Equalists with the sphere. While no crippling or fatal wounds were wrought upon them, they were given wounds that would scar them for life. At last, all of the Equalists, save one, laid strewn across the floor. Caelum took a few deep breaths, looked over his handiwork, then glanced over at Korra. "Well, how long are you guys going to stand there?" he announced. Tarrlok stepped forward and clapped. "Bravo, young airbender. Your actions have proven you to be a warrior of immense power. You shall be rewarded and given a spot in my task force." he promised. "No. I refuse. I'll do things my way." he retorted. Before Tarrlok could convince him, however, Korra ran forward. "Caelum! What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous this is?" she asked. "Do you? You foolishly joined this task force even though you're afraid of Amon and even though your training is incomplete. You might've put up a bravado the first time, but eventually, you'll slip up and do something foolhardy. There is bravery when you fight something that you're afraid of, and then there is foolishness when you fight the fear when it already controls you. Stop this at once, Korra. This isn't how you're suppose to fight the Equalists. Not when you're not ready." Caelum lectured. Then he blasted a hole on the roof and flew off back to Air Temple Island. Korra watched for a while, then turned towards Tarrlok. "I'm going back home." she told him. Tarrlok sighed before giving her a nod. As soon as she dressed back into her usual clothes, she headed towards the island, with Caelum's words still haunting her mind.

The next day, it was noon. Caelum decided to hang out with Jinora. The two were currently in the clearing of one of the many forests of the island. The two were currently taking a walk, when Jinora suddenly stopped. "Caelum?" she asked. The windbender turned towards her. "Yes?" he asked. "It's been in my mind for a while, but why do you hide your face behind that mask?" she asked nervously. Caelum seemed to debate with himself, then made up his mind. "Do you want to see it?" he offered. "Well, I won't deny the fact that I'm curious, but I don't want you to if you're uncomfortable with it." replied Jinora. "I have to show it to you sooner or later. Best to rip off the bandage now." Caelum said. He then untied the straps behind his head and slid the mask off. Jinora gasped at the sight. His skin was pale and greyish, just like his hands. Jinora thought that he was wearing gloves the entire time. His golden eyes looked even more beautiful than usual and his face was rather cute, but it was marred by a thick scar running from his left eye to his right cheek. Jinora touched his scar gently. "How did you get this?" she whispered. Caelum looked at her and prepared to speak. "It was during one of my revisits of the city. I learned the identity of the triad member who killed my parents. I was left with a choice, whether or not to take revenge. While Wind Warrior Monks promoted extreme violence when the need to defend arose, they were still a lot like the Air Nomads, promoting peace and discouraging vengeance. I disregarded my beliefs and chose vengeance. I sought out the triad member, fought him, and killed him. Unfortunately, I paid the price for my stupidity. He managed to strike me across the face with fire and gave me this injury. I ran, fleeing the city. It took me weeks to heal. An old waterbender healer offered to heal it so that it wouldn't scar, but I declined so that I would be reminded of my foolishness. I instead custom-made this mask to serve both as armor and as a way to hide my shame." He finished. Then he looked very nervous. "So, now that you saw my face, do you...think that I'm ugly?"

Jinora stood silent for a second, then took his hand. "No. I think you look rather handsome. And you shouldn't think of it as a mark of shame. Anyone can break their beliefs time to time." she said, before kissing him in the cheek gently. Caelum stood looked at her, until his eyes began to water. "You know, you're the third person I know who said something that warming." he murmured as tears streaked his cheeks. The two embraced each other, before letting after a few seconds. Caelum wiped his tears away before retying the straps of his mask. He then held out his hand. "Let's go back. I need to recuperate. I haven't felt so emotionally exhausted since my parent's death." Caelum said. Jinora smiled at him, and accepted it. The two walked back towards the temple, with Jinora hugging Caelum's arm.

It was 7:00 AM. Caelum was relaxing in his room, listening to the news in the radio as he laid on his bed. All of a sudden, he stood up violently and continued to listen as he heard Tarrlok's voice. "Avatar Korra has answered the call to deal with the Equalists. With the two of us leading the vanguard, Republic City has no reason to fear Amon and his followers." he claimed. "Question for the Avatar! You have joined the task force in order to defeat Amon, yet he still remains at large. Care to tell us why?" asked a reporter. "You wanna know why? It's because Amon is hiding like the coward he is! Amon, I challenge you to a one-on-one duel. No task force, no Equalists. Just you and me at tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's settle this now, Amon. That is, if you're man enough to face me." challenged Korra. Caelum immediately turned off the radio. "She slipped up." he muttered before grabbing his staff. He quickly sneaked out and flew off towards the the giant statue of Avatar Aang under the cover of darkness.

A few minutes before the duel:

Korra walked down the pier, surrounded by the task force and Tarrlok. As she marched towards a boat with a lantern, Tenzin landed next to them with a glider. "Korra, stop! This is madness!" he pleaded. "Don't try to stop me and definitely don't follow me. I challenged Amon and I must uphold it." stated Korra firmly as she got on the boat. She then propelled herself forward with waterbending. Tenzin whirled around and faced Tarrlok. "This is all your fault! You're to blame for this!" he yelled. "Believe me, this wasn't what I had in mind either. Don't worry though, I have called in a fleet of police airships in case things go wrong." assured Tarrlok as he gazed after Korra.

Korra stood on top of the platform of the statue, posed and ready to fight. She waited, until the a loud bong of a clock underneath the platform sang, signaling midnight. Korra started to tense. A thirty minutes later however, Amon didn't arrive. "Guess he was a chicken after all." she muttered. She started to walk away, until she reached the ground floor. But just as she passed a dark archway, she was suddenly blown forward by a violent gust of wind. Korra cried out in shock as she was hurled onto the ground. Then she heard quiet footsteps walk into the archway, along with the flapping sound of a fan opening. She quickly got up as sounds of fighting erupted and entered the archway. When Korra lit up the place with firebending, she was stunned. Caelum was fighting Amon and a roomful of Equalists, armed with his staff with the bottom wings unfurled and the spearhead out, along with what looked like gloves with claws on them. He chi-blocked an Equalist and stabbed the chest of another with the spear. Then he blew back two of them before slashing their stomachs wide open with sharpened wind. Korra had enough. "CAELUM! THIS IS MY FIGHT!" she screamed as she joined the fray. She sent a pillar of earth crashing into an Equalist and sent another back with firebending. Caelum hacked and slashed, beheading and gutting Equalists left and right as he headed for Amon. He acted like a berserker, cutting down any enemies in his path. He reached Amon, and started to engage him in combat. "No!! He's mine!" roared Korra. She blasted the Equalists in her path with fire and rocks, trying to reach Amon. But soon, she was overwhelmed by chi-blocking and fell unconscious. Meanwhile, Caelum was fighting in a ring made out of Equalists with Amon. He matched Amon strikes with his own and sent sharpened blades of wind with his unfurled staff, which Amon dodged. Caelum started to snarl, summoning a sphere of compressed air with a clawed hand. He attempted to hit Amon, but with no avail. The two masked combatants then halted the fight momentarily as they circled each other. "You have proven to me that you're a determined warrior full of loyalty and spirit. For you have fought and killed my beloved followers for the Avatar and what you believe to be peace. It is a pity that you have bending, you would have made an excellent Equalist. As a sign of respect, tell me your name and titles, if you have any." asked Amon. "Caelum, the Last Windbender!" responded Caelum. "Caelum, tonight you honor me, for I shall have the privilege of cleansing you of your filthy bending and make you pure once more, transforming you from this savage beast in front of me into a true human worthy of praise!" he announced. "Fuck off!" retorted Caelum as he rushed Amon. The two fought once more, but soon, it was clear that Amon would win. For Caelum was still a 12-year old boy, and didn't have enough stamina. After a few minutes, Caelum finally made a mistake. He launched himself at Amon, intending to crush his head with a wind sphere. However, Amon dodged and kicked the young bender in the ribs. The pain made him collapse and let go of his staff, unable to move. Amon grabbed Caelum as he struggled, and went behind him. Suddenly, Caelum gasped and attempted to move, but found out that he couldn't. "Wh-what's happening to me? Why am I...no, it can't be!" he thought in his mind. But just as Amon put his thumb on Caelum's forehead, an Equalist ran in. "Sir! Enemy reinforcements are coming!" she announced. Amon seemed to think about it, then made up his mind. "Let's go. And leave those two behind. They are two of this city's most powerful benders, so they shall provide an example to the city of our might." Amon declared, before hitting a pressure point on Caelum and knocking him unconscious. Then they left, leaving no trace of themselves except for the unconscious forms of Caelum, Korra, and the corpses of the Equalists that Caelum slew along with a few that both Korra and Caelum knocked out among them.

When Tenzin, Tarrlok, and Chief Lin Beifong arrived with the police and the task force a few minutes later, they saw the gory scene before them. "What happened here?" asked Lin as she surveyed the scene. Many officers nearly hurled at the smell and sight of the corpses. "Korra!" cried out Tenzin as he rushed toward her prone body, just out of reach of the large pool of blood. He reached her and shook her awake. "Tenzin...is that you?" she asked. "Yes, I'm here." she replied before sobbing and hugging him. "Did he...did he take your bending away?" he asked tentatively. "No." said a voice. Amid the gore, Caelum rose, leaning on his staff. The rest of the viewers gasped, startled. He was drenched in blood. "I managed to divert Amon's attention away from her..."

"Caelum?! Is that really you?" gasped Tenzin in horror. Caelum gave a nod and walked forward, leaning on his staff like a cane. "Who killed all these people?" questioned Chief Beifong. "I did." replied the windbender. The onlookers looked at him with horrified eyes. "Enough! I did what I had to do. I had no choice but to kill them. I'm sorry. I would take it all back if I could. There still are a few that are alive. You can take them." he said. The task force and the police quickly moved to save the fallen. Caelum stared at them for a while, before he kneeled before Tenzin. "...If you want me gone Master Tenzin, I understand. But there is something I need to tell you in private, so please tolerate my presence little longer." he begged Tenzin. Tenzin looked at him, then shooked his head. "I'm not going to throw you out. But this sort of thing must never happen again. Is that clear?" ordered Tenzin harshly. Caelum hesitated for a second before answering. "I don't think I can truly escape a situation where I have to kill, but I'll keep it to a bare a minimum." he conceded. Tenzin nodded, satisfied. Just then, Chief Beifong walked over. "That being said, he's still under arrest." she said. "Chief, just cover this up. He only did it to protect the Avatar. Just this once, Lin." pleaded Tarrlok, speaking at last. "What?! Are you kidding me? This child just killed a large amount of people! We can't just let him go after this!" she protested. "Were they innocent?" asked Tarrlok. Chief Beifong clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists, before relaxing. "Very well. But this is the only time I'll cover up for a murderer. And I'm only doing this because he could be a useful asset for to against Amon." she replied. But before she could walk away, she was stopped by Caelum. "Wait! Please come to Air Temple Island. There is something I must tell yours well at all cost. I beg of you, please." he begged as he went on all fours. Lin raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with Tenzin, who nodded. "Fine." she said. "Let's go."

At the Air Temple living quarters:

After Caelum washed off all the gore and changed his clothes, Korra, Tenzin, and Lin gathered around a table in front of him. "What I'm about to tell you all must never get out of this room until the Equalist crisis is over. Otherwise, every waterbender in this city will be lynched by the public." warned Caelum. "What exactly is so dangerous that you have to tell us in secret?" asked Lin. "When I was fighting Amon, I lost in the end. He soon threatened to take my bending away. However, as he was about to take it away, I felt an icy sensation, and I couldn't move. It was as if something was holding me down. I fought enough waterbending criminals to know that feeling. Amon...is a bloodbender." declared Caelum. The room was silent for a few seconds, before Lin laughed. "Do you honestly think that I would believe that?" she said as she laughed. "You've never actually fought a bloodbender in full moon, have you?" said Caelum. Lin stopped laughing. "Well, no. There hasn't been a bloodbender in this city for years." she replied, frowning. "Well, there are still a few outside the city in other parts. I should know, since I fought them." replied Caelum. "You expect me to believe that you fought bloodbenders before?" asked Lin mockingly. "Actually, Caelum here said that he was once a bounty hunter." informed Tenzin. Lin was speechless as Caelum handed her a small booklet. "This is a booklet about my past, Chief Beifong. It's when I don't feel like talking about my past. Returning to the topic at hand, mark my words, Chief. Amon is a bloodbender who can bend blood without the full moon. The only other person I know who can do that was Yakone, who left the city according to a history book I read. It's possible that Amon is related to Yakone somehow." warned Caelum. Lin looked down in thought, then looked at Caelum directly at the eye. "I'll keep your hypothesis in my mind just in case, but to be honest, it still sounds far-fetched. And I think I'll read this little booklet as well. Anyway, it's getting very late. I'm going back home. Goodnight, Tenzin, Korra." said Lin as she walked out. Tenzin looked thoughtful while Korra seemed to be seeped in fear. Suddenly, she was hugged by Caelum. "Don't allow it to control you again, Korra." said Caelum. Korra looked at him. "You can do this. This isn't over yet, so you still have an opportunity to defeat him. It's okay if you're afraid, as long as you don't let it get into your head. I know that you can do this. Goodnight, Korra, Tenzin." he spoke. Then he walked out of the room, closing the door shut.

Chapter 6 end