When her eyes opened, she found herself surrounded by earthy tones pf color, ranging from forest green to muddy brown.
Korra blinked, squeezing her eyes shut almost immediately. The sunlight felt nearly blinding, and what made matters worse were the sudden sounds of nature assaulting her ears. The bird calls were the loudest, she decided. She rolled over to lay on her stomach and attempted to push herself off of the ground.
Once on her knees, she patted her left side as if suddenly realizing something.
"The pain is gone," she muttered to herself. The rustling of leaves gripped her attention, and she finally looked around to study her surroundings.
Trees were everywhere, and their thick branches created a canopy that allowed scattered beams of sunlight to shine through the thick foliage. The ground she sat on was firm but soft, as if it had just rained.
Scratch that, there was a blanket under her. It looked handmade, and it was large enough for two people.
She looked towards the ground, seeing a campfire that looked recently burned out and an empty...was that a tea kettle?
"Great, now I got sent somewhere else," She clicked her teeth, finally finding the energy to stand up.
"Take your time getting up, you looked very injured when you arrived."
Forcing herself to remain calm, she turned around. Behind her had been a riverbank and splayed on the ground was a log, currently occupied by an elderly man in red clothing.
"I seem to be asking this a lot," she mumbled to herself. "What is this place? And who are you?"
The man had a flowing grey beard which he stroked thoughtfully. He looked rather unassuming and had a kind face. "Pardon the quaint surroundings," he greeted. "To put it bluntly, you are in the Spirit World."
"Spirit World?" Korra's brows lowered in concern. She was not spiritual in the slightest, and she really did not need to be here right now.
"Can you return me to the Physical World?" Korra asked, walking over to stand next to the kind old man. He gestured her over.
"Please, sit."
Korra hesitated, but plopped down next to the man. Smiling, he picked up something from his side. He offered her a teacup, steam still pouring from it. It smelled of fresh herbs and citrus.
"It's not quite like my Jasmine Tea, but you make due with what you can procure."
Korra took the cup, taking a tentative sip once she saw the old man drinking from his own cup. Blinking, she realized the tea was delicious! Taking a few more sips, she finally set it down next to her. "Thanks...for the tea."
"You're very welcome," the man returned. His expression fell. "I'm afraid I do not know how to return you. I'd found you unconscious nearby." Korra shook her head.
"Great. Stranded in the Spirit World," she seethed. "This never happened before, why now?" she asked no one in particular.
"Usually," the old man answered. "Mankind cannot normally breach the veil between the two worlds, especially when still alive and healthy." He took another long sip from his tea cup, sighing contentedly. "That is a skill reserved for the Avatar, or someone who has unlocked most or all of their Chi paths."
Korra fingered the fabric of her parka. "So if an Avatar got stuck here, what would they do to get out?" she asked.
"Hmm. It may sound cliche," he ventured. "But you would need to look inward. Trauma is the common thread that allows one to enter the spirit world unconventionally."
Korra regarded the old man before looking away. "I mean, I think I got crushed by rocks...that's traumatic enough, right?"
"I wouldn't know," the old man said, leaning to his left to grab the tea kettle. He poured it into his own cup, refilling it, then offered it to Korra. She held out her cup, and the pleasant aroma of citrus returned. "My guess is that it runs deeper than just physical pain. That was the catalyst. The root of it, is in the mind."
"The mind..." Korra repeated, staring down at her refilled cup. She could see her reflection in the hot liquid. Before she realized, she had been staring at it for a while before the image morphed intk that of a man's. Older...long hair.
Bloodbending. That forsaken platinum box.
A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, nearly spilling the tea.
"Are you alright?" the kind old man asked. His concern was clear in his voice. She offered a weak smile in return.
"Yeah," she stood up, downing the rest of the tea. After setting the cup down, she bowed, her palm against fist. "Thank you. I think I know what I have to do now."
The stranger bowed his head, smiling. "I hope you have a safe journey."
"Do you think we might ever meet again?" Korra asked as she turned to leave. He reminded her a lot of Master Tenzin.
"Who knows," the wise old man replied. "If it is destiny, you're always meant to meet those you cross paths with."
"Sounds like you don't know," Korra replied lightheartedly.
The man blinked before guffawing. "Perhaps. But what would be the fun in knowing?" he chuckled. "Perhaps we will cross paths again."
Korra nodded, turning back around to head farther down the forest. She glanced back, seeing the man still seated on the log, looking out toward the river bank. She pressed on.
Coming to a secluded spot in the forest, she sat down in lotus position, resting her back against the trunk of a rather massive tree. It was flanked by others, forming a sort of circle of foliage. A single ray of light pierced through the area, directly where she sat.
Korra looked side to side before closing her eyes and steepling her fingers in a meditative position.
Perhaps she just needed to breathe-
Without warning, images assaulted her mind's eye, and she frowned, but was set on keeping her eyes closed.
The first vision was the box. It felt like she was surrounded by the platinum cage again, unable to escape.
She felt sweat trail down the side of uer face.
"No, not this place again," Korra whispered, struggling to keep her breaths calm. She was beginning to hyperventilate, and she shook her head, as if it would dispel the cruel vision.
Why was she seeing it? What here would help her get back to the team?
"Focus," Korra coached herself. She breathed in deeply, feeling her pulse finally slow back down. She wasn't in the cage anymore. The Spirit World or someone was trying to tell her something. But what?
Looking around, everything in the metal box looked hazy, lacking sharpness. As if her mind understood that her current surroundings were an illusion.
With this in mind, she brushed her hands across the platinum metal. She wasn't completely sure what she was looking for, but she felt it was what she needed to do.
She felt the box give at point on one side and instinctively pushed against it.
"Come on..." she uttered with held breath. Without warning, the panel gave way, and the box seemed to fade out of existence as it did so.
She turned back, seeing nothing.
"You've taken your first step."
She recognized that voice, Korra realized. She looked around, but saw no one.
"It's you!" she said aloud. You're the one who sent me back in time!" Korra paced around, trying to find the source of the voice. All she saw was darkness, so much so, that she couldn't see in front of her. Even seeing her hands was an impossible challenge!
When had that happened?
She breathed in, then out. Something told her to just keep walking forward. So she did. Eventually, she came across a source of light, a white spot in the distant.
"Aren't we told not to go toward the light," Korra muttered, but kept going. The light looked more like a doorway and it was extremely fuzzy. It looked like there were shapes on the other side vaguely resembling people, but they looked much too large to fit in that other side, as if they were giants.
"Maybe I just step through?" she asked herself. She wished she could talk to that old man again. But there was nothing here now except that doorway and the infinite darkness. Her choice was obvious.
Out of habit, she started to peer behind her, only for a gloved hand to clap down onto her shoulder.
A deep voice whispered in her ear, and the fact that she recognized the voice sent chills down her spine.
"You're racing against the clock, Avatar."
Korea swallowed, turning her head to see that horrible mask.
...
--
When Korra awoke this time, all of the sensations she hadn't felt before assaulted her all at once. Her ribs, her arm.
Everything was hurting.
She groaned, finding that even cracking open her eyes was a chore. The fuzzy shapes of people she remembered seeing earlier started to clear up, they along with the scenery starting clear up and come into focus.
Sokka was looming over her, and she realized there was a cool sensation on either side of her head.
"Katara, she's awake!" she heard the watertribesman whisper loudly. He looked past Korra, to someone out of her eyesight. Almost immediately, she felt the cooling sensation dissapear. Katara's head popped into from above, smiling down at her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I was tail whipped by Appa."
Sokka snorted at this, but stopped at a look Katara gave him that Korra couldn't see. "Sorry," he whispered with a shrug to them.
"I mean it kinda is a weird question to ask," Toph commented off from the side.
"See?" Sokka cosigned, nodding enthusiastically. Katara rolled her eyes.
Feeling a little stronger now, Korra slowly lifted herself up, belatedly realizing her head had been resting on Katara's lap. She could see now that they were in the sky. Toph sat at the edge, next to Sokka, and Aang was farther forward, perched atop Appa's head. The wind was gently whipping at her face and hair and she was surprised she didn't feel all of that earlier. Then she remembered what happened before she'd lost consciousness under Lake Loagai.
She sat up straight, immediately feeling dizzy. Katara shuffled over to her, steadying her by the shoulders. "Careful, you just woke up."
The older watertribe girl rubbed her eyes, allowing herself to breathe. "Jet, is he..?"
Katara smiled, putting her at ease. "He's okay. We dropped him off with Smellerbee and Longshot. He said he wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"Saving him," Sokka answered. "That Earth shield you made really came in handy, although one of those boulders nearly broke your ribs."
"That explains why it hurts so much," Korra observed, tenderly touching her left side which still seemed very sore.
"If it weren't for your quick thinking and Katara's magic water, you and Jet probably wouldn't be alive right now," Toph spoke up. Sokka then smiled, his face mischievous as he watched Toph.
"You should have seen Toph! The Dai Li tried to ambush us once we made it topside," Sokka explained, accompanied with wild hand gestures. "Long Feng goes on a monologue, and her and Aang play Earthball, smacking them around with giant walls!"
"He had it coming!" Toph interjected.
"You were big mad," Sokka said, holding in a laugh.
"Was not!" Toph denied, face flushing. "Ok, maybe a little."
"Well, anyway, we're glad you're okay!" Aang half shouted from where he sat.
Korra smiled. "So where are we headed?" She paused. "You found Appa!"
Aang's smile was wide. "Yep!" he replied. "And we're headed to the Palace! There's no way Long Feng can cover up that cave in time."
Katara settled herself where she sat once she was sure Korra could sit upright on her own. "We were going to wait another day first," Katara began, looking down. "But, fortunately you were able to recover."
"Once we get the Earth King's support, I think we all deserve a break," Sokka told Korra. "Especially after that injury you got."
Korra nodded, not sure what to say in reply.
After about a half hour, the bustling palace was visible below them.
"You feel strong enough to walk?" Sokka asked, peering over the saddle.
"I think so, yeah," Korra answered, slowly rotating her left arm. It and her ribs still smarted, but it felt more sore than anything. Katara's healing water really did help a ton.
"If not, just take it easy," Sokka continued. "We're not really expecting to have fight any-"
Sokka was cut off by his own shout of surprise as Appa suddenly banked hard to the left. Everything suddenly almost looked sideways, and a boulder careened past overhead, nearly taking Sokka with it.
"Me and my big mouth..!" Sokka chastised himself. "Everyone stay low! Ground to air boulders incoming!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Toph nearly screamed, a hand over head.