As a gift to all those wonderful readers who found it in their hearts to comment, and review here is a new chapter. Thank you so much for your input. As always I only own OC's, and plot. Now without further delay chapter 8
8: Behind the Mask
To Mako it felt as though he had been kneeling here for days. The passage of time was impossible to tell as nothing seemed to change around him. Here in his inner world it seemed to be eternally night. Above him the sky was covered in dark storm clouds that blocked out all light sun, star, or otherwise. His only source of light was the lamp posts along the street he was chained to. Every now, and then he could hear thunder in the distance. The only way he could tell that time passed at all was due to the fact that the raging inferno inside him had long since cooled. Now the bitter cold was beginning to set into his chained limbs.
His only source of company was his strange doppelganger. The younger version of him spent most of its time wondering around the statues surrounding him, and plucking at the chains occasionally. Its red eyes were always moving back, and forth as if searching, or reading something that wasn't there. All the while it would mutter quietly to itself. On occasion it would disappear for a while before returning as it has now.
"What do you do while you are gone?"
At the sound of Mako's voice the copy turned to him, and cocked its head to the side. "I'm just familiarizing myself with my new home; seeing this place through your eyes. If I'm lucky I also get the pleasure of scaring nosy little air benders."
"What do you mean by that, and don't give me one of your frog bullshit answers either."
The copy gave a long sigh before turning to face him fully. "We are currently at the core of your very being. While you have been busy playing spider bat caught in its own web; I've been busy going through your life story."
"My life story?" Mako asked with a frown.
"Yes all your memories, experiences, and emotions. I've even been able to live out a few of them here in this place." The more it spoke, the more it sounded like a child after their first trip to a new playground. It seemed to realize this as well, because it stopped talking mid sentence.
"My apologies, I'm not used to experiencing such a wide spectrum of emotions. You humans experience so many in such rapid succession that it is difficult not to get caught up in them myself." The younger he explained as he regained composure.
"Us humans" Mako muttered. "Who and what are you?" He asked.
"Come now Mako I've already answered that for you." It said with a smirk.
Mako frowned as he thought back on everything that it had said. This thing was definitely not a part of him; that was for sure. It also said that the only ones who could enter his spirit world was himself, or a powerful spirit. "What's the matter Mako, has it really been that long?" a feeling of dread filled Mako as he remembered its words. He had only met two greater spirits in his entire life. One was Raava, and the other was.
"Vaatu" Mako whispered.
The dark spirit smiled wickedly. "There you go detective."
"How can you be here right now, Korra destroyed you!" Mako exclaimed.
Vaatu simply rolled his eyes as he walked over, and placed his small hand on Mako's forehead. Suddenly images and visions flashed before Mako's eyes. They were of Unalaq, Korra, and Harmonic Convergence.
"During Harmonic Convergence I destroyed Raava." Vaatu spoke seriously. Mako suddenly saw the Spirit of light being struck again and again until she dissipated into particles of light.
"Since darkness, and chaos cannot exist without light, and order; Raava was reborn deep within me. It should have taken 10,000 years for Raava to re emerge into the world, but thanks to Korra, and that air bending brat she was released early." Mako suddenly saw through Vaatu's eyes as the giant spirit Korra drove her hands into his chest, and ripped out a small light.
"Since your beloved Korra destroyed me in turn, it would only make sense that I would be reborn within her." Mako then saw a vision of a glowing purple Korra with crimson eyes. Vaatu suddenly released his hold on Mako's head, and the visions stopped.
"If it takes 10,000 years for you to be reborn then how are you here now?" Mako asked between heavy breaths.
Vaatu crossed his arms, and leaned against the statue of Bolin. "I actually have the Red Lotus, Kuvira, and you thank for that."
At Mako's look of confusion he continued. "Thanks to what the red lotus did to her Korra was locked in a state of fear, anger, and despair, emotions that I was able to feed on for three years. Then there was Kuvira, and her spirit vine weapon. Thanks to her we were exposed to massive amounts of spirit energy, my energy to begin with. Thanks to that I was able to achieve a more active presence within Korra."
Mako began to struggle against his chains once more. "Alright I get that, but how did I free you?"
Vaatu stood up, and moved to stand in front of Mako. "You my friend played the biggest part in my release. You opened the door."
Mako only glared silently, on the inside he was seething at Vaatu calling him friend.
"Like Korra, and Kuvira you were exposed to, and survived a massive amount of my power." Vaatu emphasized his point by poking the burn scar on Mako's chest.
"The residual energy and your own strength made you one of the only two in this world who could survive becoming my host without harmonic convergence. Thanks to the Sato girls continued work with the spirit vines, and the machinations of the red lotus you were drawn into a situation that would once again expose you to my energy. Raava ever the hero was forced to use energy bending to save you. For the briefest of moments your spirits synchronized, and I was able to escape into you."
Mako was silent, trying to process everything that Vaatu had said.
"So what now; you turn me into a giant monster, and try to destroy the world again?" he asked angrily.
Vaatu merely sat crossed legged in the snow, and looked Mako in the eyes. "Nothing quite so grand, at least not yet; it will take some time for our power to reach that level again. Right now we have more pressing matters to attend to."
"No" Mako said coldly. "Whatever problems or plans you have are yours not mine. There is no we; there is no us. I am not helping you destroy everything that I hold dear."
Vaatu's eyes narrowed at Mako's declaration. "Whether you like it or not boy for now on it is we. It's you, me, and us now, and for every life that comes after this one. We are the Dark Avatar now; darkness, and chaos incarnate. As for everything that you hold dear, you may want to rethink that, because everyone you know, and care about is going to turn on you." Vaatu said as he again plucked at the chains binding Mako in place.
"You're wrong!" Mako yelled as he lunged forward, straining against the chains.
"Am I Mako? All these years protecting republic city, and now you are the big bad wolf bat in the monkey hen house. Once they realize that you, and I are one in the same like that girl Jinora has; they will do everything they can to end us."
"You are wrong." Mako said again though not as strongly as before.
Vaatu tilted his small head to the side with what seemed like pity in his red eyes. "You'll see soon enough Mako. Right now isn't about destroying everything that you hold dear. It is about surviving the ones you love."
Thanks for reading, and following me this far. Again thank you for any comments or reviews. Nothing puts a writer in a posting mood like comments, and reviews. Untill next time.