A/N: I cannot stress enough how sorry I am for the time it took to update. My studies and other things really consumed most of my days, which did not leave much time for hobbies, such as writing. I hope you guys can understand.

But right now it's summer, so I will try my best to make it up to you. I truly hope you enjoy this one.

"You struggled. You suffered. But you have always followed your own path."

–Iroh

XXI

Nothing.

That's all she could see. Absolute darkness. She had no idea where she was going, but one thing was for sure, she was heading somewhere. Wasn't that what mattered at the end of the day? Getting somewhere?

But her hands kept pushing and pushing things out of the way and she was afraid, if only for a moment, that she had entered some kind of limbo, from which she would not be able to escape. The tunnel felt endless, if it was a tunnel to begin with.

Whatever she was touching on her path felt like plants. But how could she know, anyways? Her senses could have been clouded. After all, she had been struck with lightning.

Or had she?

The events seemed so long ago that she could not help but feel like they had been a mere fragment of her broken imagination.

And she could have stuck to that idea. She did not remember the light nor the sound nor the pain. From that, she could have concluded that she was simply going mental.

But it was never that simply.

She remembered the colors yellow and orange. There was something about those colors. It was important, she knew it in her heart. It was not an it she was looking for.

With every passing second she felt more and more weightless. She had felt like that at some point in her life. She just had to figure out why.

There was still time to turn around. But go back to… where exactly?

She did not know what awaited later on nor back there, if she were to turn around. But one thing was certain. Regardless of the possible challenges ahead of her, it was always, always, better to move forward.

The future was weightless. As if she had abandoned any kind of physical burden. She was just…

Her feet stopped and her arms landed on her sides.

She was in the Spirit World.

Aang had led her here.

The blackness around her started to dissipate, shades of blue invading her vision. To her surprise, there were no plants, no trees, no living thing around her.

It was just ice.

It seemed familiar. The clearer the picture got, the more she recalled from the place. At some point in her life, she had been there. She had stood over the same tall cliff before, and ironically, she had crumbled down on it.

"I've been waiting for you," she heard behind her.

A chill traveled up and down her spine, as she realized that it wasn't a voice or two. And as her eyes moved away from the cliff, her realizations were proven correct. Rows of bodies were standing in front of her. Bodies, which she knew too well. Lifetimes that had preceded hers.

Gulping, her vision landed on the figure she had been chasing earlier.

Even though she had a million questions in her head and her own mind was being consumed by excitement and anxiety, the first thing that escaped her lips, without even meaning to, was, "What am I doing here?"

No answer.

"Am I dead?" she asked nervously this time.

Only silence.

Tiny droplets of cold sweat formed on her forehead. She could feel her heart beating harshly under her blue coat, a piece of clothing she did not even think she was wearing a few hours ago.

"You ask what you already know," a woman with face painting and green clothing spoke sternly, "You're afraid of death."

Shaking her head, she burrowed her face in her hands, "I'm not."

She was met again by only silence. She was lying to herself, it was evident. And as they were a part of her, she was lying to them as well. They all knew.

"I can't be," she added more stubbornly this time.

"You can be," a voice, which she knew belonged to the previous Fire Nation Avatar, rose above the rest.

"No," she assured them, shaking her head as her turquoise eyes started to close.

"You believe that because of what you are, you're not allowed to make mistakes," a man with blue arrow tattoos appeared in front of the rest of the bodies.

Running a hand through her hair, she gulped, "I've made too many."

"So did we," the monk added with a nod, "You've been through a lot, Korra."

She tried to gulp again, but her throat was dry.

"I've failed everyone. I've failed all of you. I–" but she failed to finish her sentence, because with all sincerity, she was not sure what she could say in her defense. If she could defend herself at all.

She knew, however, that they were not expecting any kind of defense to begin with.

"You're human," Aang continued, recognizing her internal turmoil, "You're meant to fall. You're meant to suffer."

The only word that she could mutter, and the only one she wanted to mutter at that point was, "Why?"

"How could you keep the balance, if you don't understand both sides?" Aang asked rhetorically, she assumed, as she knew he was not expecting an answer from her either, "You have the light of Raava living inside of you. Yet, you're still human. Do you know why that is?"

She thought about it for a while, but was not able to voice her thoughts.

"As the Avatar, you must be able to understand humans," Roku explained, "In order to understand them, you need to experience their pain, their weaknesses, their fears. You must fall."

They did not continue talking, but they observed her. She murmured after a while, "I won't be able to do what I must."

It was Kyoshi who answered this time, "If you have failed and given up," her stern look penetrated her very spirit, "Then let go."

"I don't know if I can," she felt that was all that went through her head. She knew nothing.

"If you are done with this life," Kyoshi repeated, "This is your time."

Following the gazes of her past lives, she found herself staring at the horizon. More specifically, at the end of the cliff.

Her brow furrowed, her feet backed down quickly, away from the seemingly infinite drop. She did not remember it to be that high.

Her hurried legs caused her to trip and fall, but she still backed away as much as she could, "You want me to jump?"

She had expected to be met with dead silence, as she had before, and as she had for years. But this time was different.

"Do what you must, Avatar Korra. Be brave."

When she turned around, she was completely alone. She could hear nothing but her breathing.

She took the longest breath of her lifetime. At least that was the way it felt, as she removed her coat and boots, and so on.

Weightless again. Until her skin was stabbed by a thousand knives that was the freezing water.

And then nothing.

"She is okay."

Those words were probably the most relieving sentence he had heard in a while.

The young Airbender took a seat next to him, placing her small hand on top of his bigger one. She gave him a smile, which did not quite reach her eyes, but he appreciated her effort.

"Gran Gran is doing everything she can," the brown-eyed girl comforted him with a squeeze of her hand.

He merely nodded. There was not a lot people could say to make him feel better. But it was not their job to do so, he knew that. No one was exactly sure what had happened during that training. Somehow, the energy striking Korra had built some kind of spiritual connection strong enough for her to go into the Spirit World. Only one thing was certain, it had been no one's fault.

At least that was what Lord Zuko had said.

After sighing for a few seconds, he voiced the question he had been too afraid to ask before, "Do you think that will be enough?"

Jinora looked down at her feet, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"It is up to Korra now," answered the brunette, "There is a reason she is in the Spirit World. Maybe there is something she must do."

"What if she's in trouble?" asked the golden-eyed man only loud enough for the girl to hear, "What if she stays there too long?"

And she replied with the expected, "I don't know," he could hear the worry in her voice, "She's the Avatar. I can't know if her experience will be anywhere close to mine."

"But what if it is?" the Firebender asked again, this time looking at the teenager, "If she needs help–"

"Mako, we do not know where she is or what she is doing there," Jinora interrupted with apologetic eyes, "She could be anywhere."

"Then help me find her," Mako told her without thinking.

She was taken aback for a couple of seconds, trying to read his expression, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous," she answered with furrowed eyebrows, "I don't think I can go by myself."

He shook his head, "You would not be going by yourself."

As she raised an eyebrow, she questioned disbelievingly, "You? But you have never–"

"I know it sounds impossible, but just hear me out," he pleaded with his eyes.

Her eyes shifted from left to right as she bit her lip, "So many things could go wrong–"

"It's unfair of me to ask this from you," Mako sighed again in frustration, "I can't just sit here and hope for the best. If she needs me…"

It was unnecessary to finish the sentence, as the young girl had already understood. Yet, the Airbender still stared at him, unsure of what to do.

After a while, she said, "Okay. Let's hear that plan of yours."

When she had submerged into the cold water, she had anticipated many outcomes. Waking up was the first idea that came to mind. She pictured herself opening her eyes in Ember Island, ready to hear the familiar voices of her mentors and friends. She pictured Mako.

It seemed like the most logical aftermath. Her meeting with her past lives could have been a dream, some kind of lesson, from which she had to learn something before continuing with her own life.

That had not been the case.

The second scenario she had imagined was death. Maybe she was not strong enough to finish the job, carry on with her duties. Maybe the lightning had indeed killed her. But there would have been nothing much after that.

That had also not been the case.

As soon as she recovered her senses, numbed by the excruciating contact with the ocean, she had found herself drowning.

Her first instinct was bending the water around her but failed in the process. That is when she noticed that she was still in the Spirit World.

Her eyes shot open, her arms moved and legs kicked as fast as she could to reach the surface. The lack of oxygen had made her feel dizzy and brought back memories that she was terrified of. The images in her head, the feeling of not being able to breathe caused her whole body to be invaded by panic.

She could not calm herself down.

She did not even try to calm herself down.

It seemed like an eternity before she was able to breathe. The moment she broke out of the water, her mouth opened immediately, inhaling as much air as possible.

She continued to swim out of the water, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she allowed her legs to give in and fell on her knees as she kept coughing.

As soon as she regained her strength, she examined her surroundings. The place was completely silent, not even the leaves could be heard, dancing with the wind. The woodland was full with tall trees and she spotted a single stream running through the grove.

She could have been anywhere, but then she noticed that the water was red.

As soon as the realization hit her, she could have sworn she felt the color abandon her face.

There was no time for her to escape or prepare herself, because someone was already waiting for her.

"Welcome to Xai Bau's Grove once more, Avatar Korra," said someone behind her.

Her eyes met the person behind the voice and every single part of her body tensed.

His hair was long and grey, completely different from the way he looked when she first met him. Other than that, he looked exactly the same. His expression as unreadable as ever. That was what unsettled her the most.

Legs crossed, eyes closed. He seemed to be calm.

Too calm.

Although it seemed as if he was not prepared to fight, she knew better. He had somehow always had the upper hand when it came to surprises. She was not in advantage here. She was not in her element.

As if reading her mind, he said, "There is no use in trying to bend."

She knew that already, if her almost drowning experience had been any indication. Yet, her hands could not help but twitch.

"You have been hiding for a long time," the corners of his lips lifted, but she knew that the grin was more disturbing than anything.

And in spite of how alarmed she felt, she managed to be as inexpressive as he was, "I am not hiding from anyone."

"That is true," the Airbender agreed, but the look in his eyes unnerved her, "You are not hiding anymore."

The message was clear as crystal to her. He knew where she was physically located. There was an initial shock, which she did not show, but she had already had the feeling that she had been watched at some point. She did not think, however, that he was the one who had been watching her.

"What are you waiting for then?" spat the brunette, already having enough of his presence, "You know where I am. You are free now. Come find me."

Her pretended bravery did not shake him in the slightest. Only a quiet laugh left his mouth, which only made her feel foolish to try to fool someone like Zaheer.

"None of us are free yet," answered the Red Lotus member, "Not even you."

Snorting, the Water Tribe woman countered, "You don't know anything about me."

"You can't go into the Spirit World," there was no doubt in his statement, it was a fact, and that only disturbed her more, "I spend most of my time in the Spirit World and it's well-known that the Avatar's spirit hasn't been there for a few years."

She remained stoic, standing a few meters away from the reason behind her nightmares. On the inside, though, she felt like she was not strong enough to carry on with this unexpected meeting. She could only hope that the distance between them could mask the way her hands slightly shook and her forehead glowed with sweat.

"It seems to me," continued Zaheer, "That you are your own prison."

Her eyes narrowed at his words.

The anger, which she did not know was building up inside of her along with fear, started to surface, "No, my problem is you!" her voice rose with every word, hatred spilled into each one of them, "You poisoned me! You've ruined me! People used to think I was unstoppable, but now they don't think I'm capable of anything!"

By the end of her sentence, she was breathing heavily. Those words were not new to her, but it was the first time she had said them out loud. She had poured all of her anger and frustration into them, and even though she wished it had made her feel better, it hadn't.

"Blaming me is just a crutch to make you feel better, but it's not helping you recover."

And with that, she could feel herself exponentially losing it. She could not listen to him any longer.

He saw it in her eyes too. Maybe that was what he wanted. He wanted her to crack. It would surely make his goals a lot easier to achieve.

"We cannot bend in the Spirit World," he repeated what he had said before, noticing the way her hands twitch to bend.

But for a second, she stopped caring.

"I will no longer be scared of you!" she screamed with rage as her fists took their stance in front of her chest.

She looked at her enemy, eyes burning with fury as she waited for his next move.

He did not move a finger. He did not even blink.

Her brain warned her not to lower her guard for a second, and she did not. However, the more she waited, the weaker her legs became. There was something bizarre about the way he was looking at her.

Right then and there she knew that it did not matter how much she tried to conceal it, how much she pretended, he would recognize the fear in her eyes.

And he did.

Even though she was on the defense, she could have never been able to block his attack. He lunged towards her and she took a step back, but he had the advantage.

He had, after all, nothing to fear.

She expected a blow, which never came. His hand harshly grabbed her forearm before Xai Bau's Grove vanished into new surroundings.

The two appeared on top of a tall rock. A foggy abyss under them.

"I guess it didn't work", his laugh, along with the look in his eyes, was something she would never forget, but it was his words that had paralyzed her with fear on the inside, "You still seem scared."

Taking a step forward, he made his final move, pushing her into the fog that would soon be her real prison.

This time, she never felt the landing.

A/N: So there it is. After so many months, I hope it did not disappoint! A few notes:

1. The encounter between Korra and Zaheer was similar to the one in Book 4, when Korra goes into the Spirit World. Some of the lines are taken from that scene too. Obviously this time, there was a different outcome. Also, this is not the last of Zaheer.

2. The very last part was a parallel to the conversation between Aiwei and Zaheer in Book 3. Zaheer threw Aiwei into the Fog of Lost Souls, now we get to see what would happen to Korra in there.

3. The past Avatars wanted Korra to "jump" in order for her to face her fears, "to do what she must."

I must apologize if it feels a bit rusty, first time writing a chapter since January. I will try to update by the end of this week if possible. But please, let me know what you think. It would help a lot to get some feedback after such a long time.

Thank you for reading.