A Legend of Korra Fanfic
by Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)

Summary:

A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]

Author's Notes:

I am really so very sorry for not updating sooner. This time, my Beta reader took longer than he usually does with all the chapters I sent him. So, I couldn't update even if I wanted to (and I did).

Anyways, I hope this chapter would suffice. I hope you all find it to your liking!

Allons-y~!

The Legend of Korra:

The Schism

Chapter 27. Hot on the Trail

The Agent was bored. It had been days since he and the Lieutenant last tried to search for the missing Chief of Police. The last interesting (and at the same time, surprisingly frightening) thing that had happened had been a day ago when word reached Republic City of the seemingly synchronized volcanic eruptions.

It was a strange thing. Nothing remotely similar had happened before. Stranger still was that all of those volcanos that erupted had been dormant for ages, there had been no signs of them erupting as they did, and that they were in three different continents: Mount Makapu which was in the Earth Continent though lying within the borders of the United Republic, the Fire Continent's Mount Norikura, and the Mount Erebus in the Water Archipelagos.

He had seen the casualty reports as well. It was staggering in all three locations, save for Makapu Village. The Fishing Village had a number of injured caused by the people stampeding, yet there were no deaths. Even more amazing and baffling was that the village was still completely intact. It was a miracle…if there ever was one.

The man yawned, balancing the hind legs of the chair he was sitting in. He wanted to sleep but thought better of it. As tired as he was from the frequent nightly excursions, he couldn't afford to doze off. Not when someone had hinted of Amon wanting to speak with him.

The Agent didn't have to wonder why he was being called. It could, after all, only be about two things: the missing Chief Lin Bei Fong, or the travelling Avatar Korra.

"Is this accurate?" It was understandable, the disbelief that blanketed President Raiko's words as he read the report that was handed to him.

"Yes, sir." Even the Presidential Secretary was baffled. "I've asked the reports verified, their accuracies ascertained. There is no mistaking it, President Raiko. Of the three eruptions only Makapu came out without any casualties."

"But that's—" the President shook his head. He straightened himself, looked at the secretary and the cabinet members that were all gathered in the face of the unbelievable calamity that had hit their neighboring countries and lands, as well as their own. "And what help have we sent for the Water Tribes and the Fire Kingdom? I assume we have answered their distress."

"We have," one of his cabinet members replied, frightful of being at the forefront of the President's anger. They had already witnessed his outburst moments before and did not want a repeat of it. "Full squadrons have been deployed to offer relief to the victims. There are also volunteers helping with packaging of relief goods. All is going smoothly, Mister President."

"Good," Raiko nodded. "Spare no expense in helping these people, even if they are not our own. We have to show the world what Republic City—and the United Republic of Nations—stands for."

"Yes, sir." All agreed.

"And also," the President added, "I want people to look into the matter regarding Makapu Village."

The Village of Makapu was still reeling from the events that transpired days ago. Everyone was wondering the same thing: What just happened? There was, perhaps, no other more surprised than the Captain of the Town Guards.

He didn't understand the why's and the how's of what he had seen. Not only did the young woman they had been pursuing, threatened, and been ready to harm saved all of their lives, but she did so in a way that was not humanly possible. To say that, however, would mean that she was not at all human—something that was not hard to see. No one could do the things she did.

"Captain," his lieutenant broke his reverie. She looked tired, and understandably so. The Captain knew the request he had given her and a couple others were not easily accomplished.

"Still no sign of them?"

"No, sir." She shook her head. "We've travelled along the western pass, scoured the western mountain as well as investigated the forests. They've simply…vanished."

The Captain frowned. "They couldn't have. No one could just up and vanish like that."

"One could argue that no one could part the flow of lava and save our village from having to rebuild yet again, but that's just what has happened." The lieutenant argued. "Whoever those people were—whoever that woman was—they've long gone and had hidden themselves well. I am not at all surprised that they did, after all, we left no question that we intended to apprehend them."

"That was then, this is now." The Captain waved his hand, then sighed. "And what of the people? I assume they are as curious as we are of that young woman's identity."

"They are," she nodded. "But they are thankful, more than anything else. Some have been quite vocal of what they intend to do—which is nothing short of an uprising—should we pursue and try to capture her."

At that the Captain had to suppress the laughter that was bubbling up within him. The people's reaction and stance on the matter was understandable. Though, in truth, they had nothing to fear. He was sending some of his people to search for their savior, not to hand her over to Republic City's officials, but to thank and show gratitude. That, and because they had in their custody her Ostrich Horses.

"There is one other thing, Captain," the lieutenant coughed to remind her superior that she was still there. A raised eyebrow prompted her to continue, "The people from Republic City will be arriving tomorrow. They say they are here to provide relief."

The Captain snorted. "Relief. Of course they are. But you and I both know what they are truly after."

She nodded. They do. It wouldn't take an expert to know.

"Well," the Captain continued. "Since they offered us no support when we asked, I believe it is only fair that we keep what we saw and what had happened here amongst ourselves."

"Understood, Captain. I think the people will not argue."

"Good."

When Avatar Korra regained her senses, the young steward finally decided that enough was enough. If he was to heed the words of their emerald-eyed, aspiring historian—if he were to believe her words—then it must not simply be a one-way street.

Friendship required trust. And though Kai was uncertain of how friendship with the Avatar goes, or how such friendships were built, he put stock in believing that Korra—as a person—trusted him enough to be honest with him when he asked her to. And if she chose not to divulge whatever secret the three of his companions had, then he would work to build that level of trust and confidence Avatar Korra seemed to have in Asami Sato and Opal Bei Fong.

And so, with much trepidation—for Kai felt the conversation with the Avatar was a fearful one (as one would feel when venturing into uncharted territory)—the young man waited for the time when he and his mistress would have the moment to speak with privacy and for courage to take hold of him and propel him to ask.

Korra could sense that there was something troubling her steward, she believed it to be concerns regarding her prolonged absence from Nia Bayou. And though she wanted to assuage his worries, she had her own…problems to deal with.

Her rather risky stunt (as Asami and Opal did not fail to call it) of saving Makapu Village had effectively drained her. She could barely use any of the Four Elemental Spirits' parting gifts; her whole body felt strangely heavy; and even after several days had passed, she still felt sore and hot (an adjective that, she found, caused Opal to laugh and wiggle her eyebrows at a scowling and crimson-faced Asami when she told them about it) all over. This, of course, made traveling to the Pohuai Stronghold that much more difficult.

But perhaps the thing that the sapphire-eyed Avatar found most bothersome (and confusing) was this bewildering thing with Asami.

It all started when Korra regained her consciousness.

The first thing she noticed was the softness of her sleeping arrangement (which, she later found out, was thanks to Naga's soft fur, as she had been using the side of the Polar Bear Dog as a pillow). The second was the meager campfire and the shadows dancing around the rock formations that hid their camp from passerby.

The third—and perhaps this was the one that chased her drowsiness away for reasons that eluded her—was Asami.

She was so close, sitting beside her. A part of her long, wavy hair cascaded in front of her face, hiding half of it from view. She breathed evenly—an indication she was asleep to the world. And though a sleeping Asami was not a concern (especially when taken into account that it was the middle of the night and humans were meant to sleep and rest), what jarred Korra awake, heart hammering, and face feeling twice as hot as the rest of her was the not-so-small fact that Asami Sato had one of her arms slung across Korra, hand dangerously close to the Avatar's chest.

Korra was conflicted. She didn't know what to do, or even if she was supposed to do anything. Or even how to feel about the whole thing. Never had she had any physical interaction with any human before and only experienced them upon meeting the two, young women she had been traveling with. And so she just stayed still and tried to fall back to sleep—a task that was as difficult as trying not to stare at the other girl.

When morning came and she had once again risen from sleep (a rest she didn't remember taking), it was no longer Asami by her side but Kai, who was dutifully using a wet cloth to bring her heated skin a little bit of relief.

What the Avatar felt then was an unknown feeling akin to disappointment, but not exactly it. She had no name for this feeling, and it frustrated her so. It was, Korra found, one of those moment that she wished she had been thoroughly educated about human emotions; that the Four Elemental Spirits were around to help her understand whatever this feeling was.

She wanted to understand. To know so badly. But she couldn't risk asking those around her about it. She felt such a question was not something she could ask so casually. And so Korra kept it to herself, as she did with what she thought to be a dream.

She did a good job hiding her thoughts during the times the others interacted with her, giving them a cheerful façade despite what she was physically and emotionally feeling. Or, at least, that's what Avatar Korra thought. If Asami, Opal, or Kai noticed anything strange about her, they didn't say a word of it.

What they—and by 'they', it was mostly just Asami and Opal—had something to say about was the darker-skinned girl volunteering for the first watch of the night. They were, of course, against it for obvious reasons—concerns that Korra herself scoffed at and brushed away.

"I'm fine," she assured them. "It is not as though keeping watch would be a difficult thing after all the sleeping I have been doing. I am more rested than any of you are. You deserve some rest."

It was true. None of them were truly fully rested, except for the Avatar. Dark rings rimmed their eyes and Korra could often see them yawning, fighting off sleep as they traversed the path leading to the stronghold.

Surprisingly, Kai agreed with the Avatar.

"It would do us no good to argue about this," he told them. "K-Korra is right. We need rest. Besides, the night's first watch is an easy one." A glare from his mistress compelled him to amend his statement. "I-I don't mean that you can't handle the later shifts, I mean that as—"

"I know what you are trying to say Kai," Korra said. "I simply do not like to hear it."

It was a childish thing to say, but it was the truth.

In the end, Asami and Opal agreed with Kai (even when they felt suspicious that Kai would agree with Korra on this) and allowed the Avatar to keep watch over them for the first night's shift. Korra was pleased with this, to say the least, feeling as though she was doing something to help once again.

It struck her then that her intention had been just that. She volunteered to help. Again. But this time, it wasn't just to prove that she could, or because she was the Avatar—which was one of the things that drove her to act back at Makapu—but because she genuinely wanted to help. She did it for them.

And it felt…nice. It was liberating: to do things not out of a sense of duty but because she realized she truly cared for these humans—which was an even bigger and more meaningful revelation to her.

When the time came to make camp for the day, Asami came to her side and made sure she was certain of her desire to keep first watch.

"I am," she replied with a grin. "You can keep asking me this for as long as you like, Asami, but it will change nothing."

Asami sighed, "I have a feeling you were going to say that. I just hope you'd take it easy." In a whisper, she asked, "You're still having a hard time with that bending of yours, right?"

Korra snapped her fingers once, twice, three times before a small flame erupted from her forefinger. "I'm still having a little bit of trouble, yes. I did just pour out most of my energy in saving that tiny, quaint village. But I really am fine. You, on the other hand, look like you could use some rest."

The Prodigy snorted, rolled her eyes, and muttered, "Yes, that's exactly what a girl wants to hear, Korra. You don't have to tell me that I look bad. From all the things that we've been doing, I don't have time to fix myself up."

"No! That's not what I meant!" the chocolate-haired girl quickly said. "I just want you to be able to rest, because you look like you need it. I mean, when was that last time you actually slept for more than just a measly couple of hours?" she let that question sit between them. After a short while she added, as though it was an afterthought that still needed saying, "Besides, you don't have to worry. You still look snazzy to me, and I mean that in the nicest, possible way."

The raven-haired, young woman looked at the Avatar strangely. "Okay…Well, I suppose I'll take you up on that offer to rest, considering I really can't get you to change your mind."

Korra nodded and watched as Asami walked her way back, close to the camp fire where Opal had already made herself comfortable sleepy by Naga's side. When she was certain that Asami was really going to rest and not tinker on her Shock Glove, the Avatar turned her attention to the vast expanse of land that stretched out before them—the length of which they still need to traverse to get to the stronghold.

She blew a raspberry. Snazzy? Really, Korra? She lay her back on a nearby outcropping, eyes ever vigilant even as he mind began to wander.

The night was quiet, and though Avatar Korra found herself growing bored no sooner than when she had begun her watch, she did not fall into the temptation of sleep. She had volunteered, after all, and sleeping on the job—no matter how inviting Korra found the act to be—was something she could not do.

She was certain everyone was asleep at that point, however, and so she was quite surprised when Kai sat down beside her—or as close as the young man dared allowed himself to—and spoke.

"Ava—I mean, K-Korra."

The Avatar smirked. Kai was really having trouble adjusting.

"Kai," she nodded. "I'm surprised to see you still awake. Did Asami and Opal put you up to keeping an eye on me?"

The young steward scoffed, "I may have come into terms with some things, but there is no way I am going to let those two boss me around."

Korra laughed. She had every mind to tell Kai that she had thought of the same thing when she had first met the two. "Maybe," was all she said however. "I want to thank you for that as well, Kai. I know it may not be easy for you, but Asami and Opal aren't bad…for humans."

"I know," the Steward replied. "They are good people."

There was a comfortable silence between the two after that. It was the kind of silence they were quite familiar with and had often shared in Nia Bayou. It was, however, a short-lived one and one Kai broke once again.

"Korra, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." The words were uttered so quietly and tentatively that it immediately caught Korra's attention. "I…I know it may not be my place to ask, and I don't really expect you to be forthright with me as I am nothing but a lowly servant to My Lady but—"

At that point, Korra cut Kai off. "That's enough Kai. Stop babbling and just out with it."

Taking a deep breath, the Avatar's Steward steeled himself and did as he was told, blurting the question out quickly stringing the words together.

It was really such a pain, though he suspected this was what Amon would ask of him even before he had a chance to meet with the man again. It was something he had been expecting to happen much earlier than it had. Still, it was something he would much rather do.

He was at Makapu Village—a miraculous site where one of the volcanoes erupted and where no lives were lost—as part of a delegation sent by the United Republic of Nations and Republic City, a representative of one of Republic City's finest police officers. It was all a ruse, a made-up identity, yet it was one that made him blanch. He was no goody-two-shoes. Not by a long shot.

But, if it meant getting a bonus after the completion of this particular mission? Then by all means, he would act like a saint…for as long as he could anyway.

To get that loaded paycheck, however, he needed to gather information regarding Avatar Korra's whereabouts, and he needed to do it inconspicuously.

The problem was, the townspeople of Makapu were all so tight-lipped about it. No matter how many times he asked, no matter whom he asked, they all had the same answer: they didn't know who he was talking about. Even when the Agent had shown a picture—as grainy as it was, it was still a pretty decent photograph of the Avatar—they still provided no help.

"We don't recall ever seeing someone like that," that was the answer he got—or a variation thereof.

It was beyond frustrating, especially knowing that they were all lying. The people of Makapu, for whatever reasons they may have, were hiding Avatar Korra's whereabouts.

The Agent gritted his teeth and tried his best not to punch anything—or anyone, for that matter—when he had practically asked every villager he had come across. What should have been a quick job—an easy job—of finding information had suddenly become a rather troublesome one.

"Just keep your head in the game," he told himself, repeating the words like a mantra. "Remember why you are doing this."

With a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down, Amon's agent began his mission anew. He was going to track down the Avatar, one way or another.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" his long-time partner-in-crime, secretary, and fiancé (among other things) asked, obviously concerned for his well-being as well as the sanity of his decision—as was always the case when it came to his inventions and other entrepreneurial pursuits. "You said so yourself, this is a bad idea."

"Yes, I did. But it is also a good idea, Zhu Li." Varrick replied, voice slightly muffled by the stacks upon stacks of research materials that towered over him. "It's for the advancement of science! Heck, if this even goes as planned, it might also be an advancement in Spiritology!"

"Yes, but you also said it was dangerous," Zhu Li Moon reminded him. "If whatever this thing is works, you know there is no other use for this but to harm others. Besides, how much do you trust Councilman Tarrlok?"

"I trust him just as far as I can throw this pencil," As soon as he said those words, Varrick threw the pencil. It arced for not more than a millisecond and it landed a millimeter away from where he had thrown it—which was to say that it would have travelled a much farther distance had the man dropped the pencil in front of him.

"That would have been impressive, Iknik," Zhu Li said, "had we not been discussing its correlation with your trust in the Councilman."

"Yes, well, I think I have proven my point."

"Which is?"

"That I don't really trust him. Believe me, I'm not doing this to help him. I'm doing it to help us."

The bespectacled secretary frowned, "And what does that mean, exactly?"

"Well…" Varrick drawled the words out in hopes of thinking of something—anything, really—to tell Zhu Li. He didn't think his fiancé would appreciate what he had gotten himself into…this time.

But Zhu Li was not some doe-eyed, slow-minded woman (something she found years before seem to frequent Varrick's side) who could easily be fooled. No, there was a reason Zhu Li Moon was Varrick's assistant and partner, and it wasn't just for her good looks or the fact that she seemed to be the only one who could understand the man's eccentricities (not to mention the only one who could stand the man, himself). She was also quite astute and is always quick to pick up when Varrick plans to lie his way out of a situation.

Which was what he was going to do.

And so, before he could even utter the story he had made up, Zhu Li told him, "The truth, please, Varrick. If you have gotten us into trouble again, I would like to be able to make some contingency plans to get us out of it."

The Entrepreneur poked his head from the mess that was in his working table, face showing an expression of hurt and indignation as he said, "Zhu Li, I am appalled!"

"Varrick…" Zhu Li's patience could only stretch so far, especially when it came into matters such as these.

"Fine!" the business mogul puffed his cheeks like a petulant child. "I may or may not have been threatened by Tarrlok to work on this project."

"Varrick!" there was no mistaking the horrified look on his fiancé's face that quickly morphed into one of disgust, followed by anger. At first, Varrick thought that those emotions were directed at him, which he found was more terrifying than the idea of being threatened into working on an invention, but then Zhu Li said, "That man will not get away with this!"

Kai had was verging on catatonic. He had just managed to pry the truth from his mistress' mouth, and it was a truth he would rather not have known; a truth so far into the realm of impossibility that it simply couldn't be.

But no matter how many times he denied it, the fact would remain: Avatar Korra had lost all but a sliver of the Elemental Spirits' powers, not to mention the four spirits themselves.

"This…This is a disaster!" Kai sputtered, hands all but ready to start pulling the hairs on his bird's nest of a hair.

The Avatar quickly peered behind them, worried that the young man's outburst would wake their sleeping companions.

"Keep it down, Kai," Korra hissed. "We do not wish to disturb their sleep. Spirits know how difficult it would be to get them to rest. Especially Asami. I've never met a human who is not of Nia Bayou who worries for me as much as she does. It's so…strange…"

The Avatar's Steward shook his head in disbelief. "How can you be calm about this? When the Chieftains and the Elders find out—"

"I do not intend to let them know." Sapphire eyes bore heavily down on Kai that it made whatever the young man was about to say die in his mouth. "And I trust you will keep this between—as Opal would call us—the Krew. Besides, I am slowly making peace with what hand fate has dealt me. That is not to say, however, that I am not doing anything to fix this."

"Then this whole quest for that child—?"

A nod. "I am hoping it would help. The Spirit World is deteriorating as we speak, that the Light Spirit would even do as this child asks despite what is happening tells me this is no useless detour. Whatever she wants with me, we will soon find out."

"And, after that? You are still planning to return home to Nia Bayou, right?" Kai feared what his mistress' answer was going to be.

"One step at a time, Kai," was all Korra was willing to give, her anxiety for what awaited her return to the land she called home keeping her from giving a more concrete answer. "One step at a time."

Asami was appalled. She was supposed to take the final watch of the night; view the first rays of the sun bathe periwinkle the sky. Instead, she awakened to a meager breakfast already being served and the Avatar's Steward already dismantling the camp. Hurriedly, the brilliant star of the Great Republic University rose from where she lay, disentangling herself from the blankets that she didn't remember cozying herself in. As soon as she was free of them, she haphazardly threw her hair in a messy ponytail and wiped the remnants of sleep from her eyes before she joined Opal.

"I am so, so sorry." Asami was embarrassed at having failed to do her share of work. "I didn't mean to oversleep."

"It's not big of a deal, Asami." Opal reassured her as she handed her friend he portion of their meal—a bowl, half-filled with soup made from herbs and other berries they had found along the road and some of what remained from the supplies they were able to bring.

"Of course it is!" At least, that was how Asami genuinely felt about the matter. "My failure to wake up in time and keep watch meant someone else had to take my place and was deprived of a couple more hours of rest. That doesn't seem fair to me."

"Don't sweat the small stuff, Asami." Kai joined in on their conversation. His interjection surprised the raven-haired prodigy, who didn't think he would be listening in. She was equally surprised by the reassuring tone he used with it as well. "We all got sufficient rest. Besides, Lady Korra insisted we let you sleep in. She was quite forceful about it when she found out you were the one who cared for her while she was unconscious."

Asami almost choked on her meal upon hearing that little tidbit. After managing to swallow her food, looking from the Historian to the steward and back again, she asked, "Wait, what? Who told her about that?"

"Mister Crazy-Hair over there." Opal pointed at Kai.

"Kai!" She couldn't hide the annoyance she felt. "We all agreed not to tell her, remember?"

Holding his hands up in surrender, the young man defended himself saying, "I didn't have a choice. My Lady asked. I couldn't just lie to her face about it, not after asking her to trust me with the truth about this whole escapade."

Again, Asami found herself asking, "What?"

"Apparently," Opal began to explain ash she set her bowl of breakfast down, "Kai had a heart-to-heart talk with Korra and got her to tell him what had truly happened to her and the Elemental Spirits. Korra told me we don't have to hide the truth from him any longer."

That was a revelation the Prodigy did not think she would hear so soon. The Avatar, after all, had admitted that it was one of the things she would have trouble with: telling anyone from Nia Bayou the truth of her condition.

Looking over at Kai, Asami wondered what the young man had said or done to get Korra to tell him. Curious, she looked around, wondering why the Avatar hadn't spoken up during their discussion.

"Speaking of Korra, where is she?" she asked when she saw neither hide nor hair of the other girl.

"She's taking Naga for a run." Opal replied. "She said she wanted to clear her head before we set out again."

Asami bit her lip even as she wanted to question if it was wise to let Korra wander by herself. Even though she believed Korra to be capable of defending herself, the Avatar had shown signs of weakness from her previous accomplishment. Still, to speak that thought aloud felt…wrong. It felt disrespectful, even when spoken out of concern.

"Do not fret over the Lady Avatar, Asami." Kai's words were spoken faintly, but with a confidence that bellied the fact. "She'll be fine. Besides, Naga may seem like an overgrown puppy to you, but she is a terrifying animal as well, especially if someone dares to harm our mistress."

The young prodigy sighed, resuming her breakfast, but not before saying, "If you say so, Kai."

It wasn't until everything in their camp had been well-packed and they ready for the remainder of their journey to the Pohuai Stronghold did Korra and Naga return, both looking much more refreshed than when they had left.

Amon's eyes scanned the towering structure that loomed before him, now looking much more like the fearful weapon his benefactor had envisioned it to be.

Gone were the scratches and the dents, the broken pipes, cogs, wires, and cylinders. There was nothing that remained—no hint whatsoever—of the effort done by the Avatar to destroy it.

But as new and improved as the Spirit Bastille looked, the Masked One knew that it was still very much a big, hunk of worthless junk without a powerful spirit, or two, or four to power it up.

But searching for spirits—those which are as strong as the ones they had obtained from the Avatar—was difficult. Though their existence was known to him, he had no means of finding them short of carrying the Spirit Bastille around the world in hopes of imprisoning them and not some lesser spirit or another.

"Do not worry, Amon." His benefactor had said when he had pointed it out as she inspected the Spirit Bastille. "We will have a new source of energy to power this machine up…soon."

"What do you mean?" the Leader of the Equalists asked.

"Plans have already been made, Amon." The Benefactor replied. "Plans to tear the veil between the mortal and spiritual realms asunder. I have already planted the seeds, soon we will reap its fruit."

His hooded and shadowed visitor's mysterious reply piqued Amon's interest—as it would of anyone who heard that declaration. He waited for the Benefactor to expound on those words, but he was met with silence. Still, Amon waited. He wanted to know, but was not willing to risk asking.

"Keep working on the Spirit Bastille, Amon." The Benefactor said as she turned around to leave. "Be ready to move at a moment's notice."

"Move?" It was news to him. "Move, where?"

"To the Earth Kingdom," came the reply. "To Ba Sing Se. We do not want to be caught in the purifying blast of the Spirit Bastille, after all."

Unalaq's eyes were wide like saucers as he pored over the documents—the papyrus, ancient books, and various other texts—that he was fortunate to stumble upon thanks to the woman he had saved.

He believed it was the will of the great spirits that he stumbled upon that woman, half-frozen and weak, lying unconscious, buried in the snow. He could find no explanation, other than the fates being involved. After all, he was not even supposed to take that mountain path.

He paused from reading, remembering the events so vividly as though it had transpired moments before.

He had just spoken with his brother—well, it was more like argued, which was what they always did—and was thoroughly chagrinned by his olden ways that he decide to cool off in his secret sanctum up in the frosty mountains. He didn't mind the frigidity of the air or the harshness of the arctic storm buffeting him. He was a man born and raised in the frozen tundra. He was a man of the Northern Tribes; the High Chief and Leader of all the Water Tribes.

Despite being at the very top of the pecking order, however, Unalaq found himself lacking in authority when it came to matters regarding Nia Bayou. Always, all the other Tribe Chieftains and the Elders would listen not to him but to his brother, Tonraq. It didn't matter if his brother had a backward way of thinking. It didn't matter if the ancient ways were lost and forgotten because everyone was so focused on Nia Bayou and their Avatar.

Whereas Chief Unalaq envisioned the expansion of their beliefs and incorporating them to the ever-changing outside world—to spread Nia Bayou's spirituality—Chief Tonraq was content with simply living in a bubble—to keep their spirituality to themselves; to let it live and die with their people.

He was seething as he trudged up the mountain. Blinded with fury as he wondered why none understood his stance, he failed to notice a large, snow-covered lump in the ground until he tripped and tumbled over it.

When he fixed his eyes on the lump, he saw it for what it actually was: a long-haired woman, unconscious, pale with lips turning blue.

As it was common knowledge that none could survive below zero temperatures under such circumstances as the unconscious woman's for long, the Water Tribe Chieftain quickly came to her aid. As his secret haven was not that far, Unalaq decided to take her there and provide for her the treatment and care she needed.

Thankfully, he managed to save her life. When she came to her senses, however, Unalaq wasted no time to question her. Weak as she was, this woman was an intruder and, had she not been felled by the snowstorm's might, she would have stumbled upon Nia Bayou.

Much as the Chieftain was an advocate of spreading Nia Bayou's teachings to the world, he still followed his people's laws and they were clear when it came to outsiders and intruders. As such, Unalaq was fierce in his questioning, unrelenting.

The woman though—much to Unalaq's surprise and awe—calmly navigated his interrogation and proved unusually knowledgeable on things he did not expect her to be. She didn't skirt around whatever was asked and readily admitted what others would hide and lie about, including her reason for being there.

"I am a scholar," she told him. "I came here looking for the hidden village of Nia Bayou, home of the Avatar."

Those words would have caused Unalaq's jaw to drop had he not perfected his poker face. To say that he was caught off guard yet again by the statement was understandable. Nia Bayou, as the woman herself had stated, was a hidden village; a secret kept for generations that had been lost and forgotten in history. No one should know about it, other than those of the White Lotus Clan. And this woman was not one of them.

How can she know about the village and the Avatar? Such a question kept Unalaq from handing the woman over to the White Lotus—which was the most sensible and safest thing to do and that was required by the law. Instead, he pried information from her—information she freely gave, and more.

The woman told him that she was driven to the Southern Water Tribes by her search for the Avatar of legend and the village spoken of therein. When pressed as to how she had come to learn of these things, she showed him the tomes, parchments, and texts she had with her that spoke of the Avatar's history and that of Nia Bayou's.

Unalaq prided himself knowledgeable to all things related to his people, their ancient way of life, and their Lady Avatar. He knew every single account of the Avatar ever written and could account for them. But never, in all the years since he started studying them, had he seen any of those the stranger—the woman intruder—had in her possession.

And so, he made her a deal: to not turn her over to the White Lotus and have them incarcerate her, and instead let her go with her life and freedom in exchange for the books of lore and the records of the Avatars' past that she had.

Given such a choice, the woman handed everything over to the Northern Water Tribe Chieftain without much fuss and fanfare. Since then, the High Chieftain had been reading them, occasionally returning to Nia Bayou when the need arose, or to his tribe further up north.

He could not believe all of the things he had read, all of the things those texts contain. They were preposterous. And yet…

And yet…

"What if what they say is true?" he wondered. The seeds of doubt already taking root. "What if, all this time, we were wrong? What if, all this time, we have been lied to?"

The thing about doubt, once it has been planted and had taken root in person's soul, is that it gnaws at that person; it eats them up; it consumes them. Doubt makes people wonder if anything is absolute any more. It makes it trying to see the line between good and evil, right and wrong.

Doubt blurs the line between truths and lies; makes a person question everything and gives birth to choices that may otherwise never have been made.

Such was the situation Chief Unalaq found himself in.

"Now, is that really difficult?" he asked as he slammed the badly beaten man onto the wall before releasing his grip on him. "It would have saved us a lot of time—and you, a lot of pain—had you shared this information with me when I had first asked."

The man—whose face was now unrecognizable from the heavy beating he received—slumped further on the ground, whimpering, surrounded by a pool of his own piss and blood.

Anyone who saw this man now would have pity on him, but there was no such emotion behind the amber eyes of his assailant. Instead of pity, he gazed at the broken heap of a man with cold, ruthless eyes, finding pleasure in another's demise.

"It's pathetic really," he inspected his fists which were soaked with the poor man's blood. "the lengths you would go through to hide her whereabouts, thinking that you are actually doing any good. But once you've had enough, you crumble." He laughed bitterly, shaking his head as he did. "I don't understand why you, or anyone, would stick their neck up for her when you don't have to. Well, whatever. I got what I came for and you got what you deserved for standing in my way, Guard Captain."

The Captain of Makapu Village's Sentry could only make gurgling noises as the Agent walked over him and away from the alley he had been forcefully brought in to. Despite the mauling he had received for trying to keep secret the young woman who had saved their village, he still counted himself fortunate to be alive, broken as he was.

Swollen eyes scanned his attacker's handiwork. Blood splattered everywhere. Broken bodies were strewn about. Corpses, the lot of them.

Yes, he was fortunate to be alive, though he couldn't say the same for his men who had come to his aid only to find demise at the hands of a ruthless man.

As his consciousness faded, the Captain could only raise a prayer to his ancestors. It wasn't just a prayer for his sake but for the sake of that young woman as well.

Please, ancestors. He silently pleaded. Please don't let him catch up to them.

Post Author's Notes:

And there you guys have it, the 27th chapter of The Schism.

What do you guys think? Can you guess the story behind Asami sleeping so very close to Korra? Your thoughts and reactions are always welcomed!

Until the next update, dream on; fly on!