Anika's adrenaline kicked in. She lost all control of her bending as her fight or flight response kicked in. And this response would definitely be fight. She rushed wind from behind her, cushioning her fall, even stopping her from touching the ground. And the glacier of ice above began to spin faster and faster as the wind lifted it as well and sent it hurtling back toward the top floor of the Quartine Hub with Anika coming in right behind.
As the comet punched through a quarter of the top floor taking the roof with it, Anika rose up with the wind, appearing to hover in midair where the floor used to be. Her face was expressionless. She had lost all conscious control of her body. There was nothing left but rage now. Anika summoned the comet back, shattered it into a million pieces, and flung them all toward her brother Redger as he cowered in the remaining corner that was not open to the world. Like the spray of a thousand archers, the barrage left no escape. Redger was impaled, riddled with razor sharp ice. But anika's rage was in control now.
Death would not stop her. She performed what would become her ultimate move: sublimation. All the ice that punctured and shredded Redger and the top floor of the Quartine Hub instantaneously turned into steam and exploded, atomizing what remained of the seat of power in this quarter of the nation.
The rushing wind that held Anika aloft deflected the incredible debris that showered down around the city. Her stamina exhausted by the massive outflow of power, the wind slowly died down and gently set her on the pile of rubble that covered the third (now top) floor or the Hub. The Endeavors defeated here, rebel insurgents hurried the limp and unconscious Anika to back to safety and anonymity, slowly restoring her strength over the next few weeks.
"...and once I felt strong enough, I set out on my journey to come here to the Great Hall." Anika and Sokei shared some silence as he processed the story he had just heard.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry for you Anika. I can't even imagine. I had only one sibling, a brother, who died of sickness when we were both very young. I'm so very sorry." Sokei tentatively laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She paused, then turned slowly to him, tears in her eyes.
"I lost control and killed..." She couldn't finish that thought aloud. Sokei drew her close. At first she pulled back, but only momentarily. She buried her head in his chest and clung to him deeply, almost clawing at him in her sorrow. As she wept, Sokei softly smoothed her hair until she quieted. They stayed in Sokei's tent that night, sharing restless sleep.