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:

So, I have a feeling most of us are still reeling from the results of the elections. Though I am not an American myself, I understand the repercussions of that election...and because of the sourness of the results, this took a while (my beta was too caught up with the whirlwind to finish this soon), hence the delay.

Anyways, this is one of the longest chapters I have ever written. And, this chapter pushes our plot both with Korra and the Krew as well as within the Republic City further along. So, I hope you guys enjoy!

Just a little head's up, there is a little bit of a trigger warning on one particular part of this chapter.

Dream on; Fly on!

The Legend of Korra:

The Schism

Chapter 43: Spilling Darkness

Bolin stared at Asami as though she had grown dozen of heads－the same number, give or take a few, of questions that plagued his mind. What he had been told and what he had thought he would hear from his long, lost friend proved to be two very different things.

He was glad that Duo Xin was not around to hear what Asami had just said. No doubt his secretary would have, without a moment's hesitation, dragged him as far away from her as she possibly could. What he had just heard, after all, was difficult to swallow and could easily be explained as the ramblings of an insane woman.

And even though Bolin knew Asami had not yet gone off the deep end, he still found it very hard to believe her story.

He could have come up with something else to say, but all he ended up with was a prolonged "Okay" that was more of a question than a statement.

"He doesn't believe what you had just said, Asami." Korra had no hesitation pointing out what already was rather obvious to the Prodigy.

"I-It's not that I don't believe, per se…" Bolin said, his hands going all over the place as he waved them about. "It's just…umm, how do I put this?"

Asami sighed, "I know how it sounds, Bolin. Believe me, I have lived through it and I still find myself wondering at times if I am not just hallucinating these things. But no matter how far-fetched it may be, it is the truth."

Bolin hummed, fingers drumming his chin as he contemplated on what to make of the words that spilled from the Prodigy's mouth. The sensible part of him warned and cautioned him against providing the help his old friend needed; telling him of troubles that would come from fraternizing with her and this Korra-woman. He was certain he could already imagine what Duo Xin was going to say, word for word.

But the other half of his brain－the one who knew what it was like to be caught in so much trouble without anyone else to turn to; who had experienced first-hand the relief a friend could give; and who was thought more with his heart than his mind－could not even begin to fathom not helping Asami Sato.

And as Bolin was never good with hiding his thoughts and his feelings, always opting to wear them on his sleeve, Asami saw the war that was internally waging within him. She felt bad about having to come to him for help.

Korra watched as the two humans suddenly went silent. She carefully scrutinized both of them, reminding herself to be a little more understanding－as difficult as that sounded. She remembered how Asami had told her of the consequence of their meeting and the choice she had made thereafter; she remembered the raven-haired, young woman's wistful look whenever she spoke of the could-be's and what-if's of a different choice made. Looking at Asami's friend, Korra could surmise that he, too, was someone who had a future filled with promise. A bright future that was within arm's reach. A coruscant future that was in the midst of being in danger with her.

And although the Avatar knew then that it was everyone's future that was being threatened, the thought of yet another human being put at risk because of her made her a bit uncomfortable, as shocking as it was to think about.

It was through this line of thought that the darker-skinned girl based her decision from as she placed a hand on Asami's shoulder to get her attention and said, "That is enough, Asami. It is fine. We do not need to pressure your friend to help us. We will find another way."

"But－" Asami wanted to argue, knowing that this was the only way they had now. The only sure way of getting to the capital with minimal (to none) trouble.

Korra didn't let her get a word in edgewise. Turning to Bolin, the Avatar gave him a stern look and said, "It was a dangerous gamble to come and ask for your aid. I cannot fully fathom what it is you are thinking right now, nor how you must feel, that is still well-beyond my understanding. But we will not trouble you further. I only ask that you keep whatever you have heard from us to yourself, if not for my sake then, at least, for Asami's."

Raava's incarnate didn't wait to hear what Bolin had to say. After delivering her piece, she turned on her heals and walked away. It stunned not only the Mover Star but Republic City's bright, young student as well. After all, Asami had thought Korra would insist on getting Bolin to help them. Her mission was of utmost importance and the Avatar was anything but forceful when the need arose.

It was surprising how easily Korra gave up on trying to obtain Bolin's help.

Is it pride? Asami wondered, slacked jaw. She didn't know if she was asking it out of doubt or if she was merely curious at this particular change in the Avatar. It was so very different from when Korra had forced her aid her in breaking into the Great Republic University. "Does she not want to seek help from yet another human?"

The Prodigy shook her head, snapping herself out of those contemplative thoughts. After apologizing to Bolin and wishing him well, believing that this would, perhaps, be the last time they see each other again, Asami rushed out of the hotel and after Korra.

She was a little bit distracted, if she was going to be honest. Even when this was a momentous occasion for those whom she was currently with, her mind was elsewhere. Even so, she was not oblivious to what was going on around her: the frenzied activity, the anticipation of what was to come.

The human desire that welled up in that room was strong. It was palpable. Tangible. It was as if she could reach out to it and feel it on the tips of her gloved fingers.

Hidden underneath her hood, she let herself smile. Everything was going according to plan. The pieces were falling into place, fitting perfectly. Closing her eyes, she could feel the thrum of dark energy in the air, encasing not just the room, but entire cities far and wide, fueled by the negative emotions that were now abundant in the world.

The seeds she had sowed had blossomed. Soon it was going to bear fruit.

Yet, despite the imminent victory－her victory－she could find no satisfaction in it. The Avatar was proving herself an unworthy adversary. Still flip-flopping around. She had hoped that, by now, the Avatar had conquered the Trials. But, from what she had gathered－not just from the humans that served her but from the spirits that were flanking under her banner－Avatar Korra had yet to find even one of the Elemental Orbs.

Pathetic, the thought trickled from her mind with derision. She wanted to fight the Avatar; to bend the deity-turned-human into submission. And though she could do that now, it would be a hollow victory. It was not something they wanted. They wanted Raava's total annihilation. To wipe her from existence utterly and completely. Nothing short of that would give them pleasure.

It was a shame really. But, she supposed, they would have to rely on those who had found the Avatar their enemy as well. And if the Avatar falls by their hand, they would have to just accept that they would be without their revenge.

They would have missed their mark had they not been trained to always be vigilant; to observe their surroundings and take it all in at once. The memory of the person they had been sent to locate and retrieve clashed with the woman that they had found.

There was no fire in her eyes. Not even a spark. Her hair was disheveled, as was the rest of her clothing that－like her entire body－was marred with scratches, dirt, and grime. She was significantly thinner, drool trickled down her chin.

They had approached her tentatively, all of them worried for her sake. She didn't seem to notice that they were there. Even when she looked at them, it was as though she couldn't see them. All she did, as she sat, unmoving, was mutter things. Strange things.

The Lin Bei Fong that was before them was a mere shadow of her former self.

It made them all angry. Whatever had happened to her－whoever did this－was going to pay. Dearly.

It was something one of the Masked Assassins leading them had vowed. His eyes blazed with fury and anger behind his crimson mask. His hands, balled into tight fists with his nails digging sharply even through the fabric of his gloves, shook. He wanted to punch something; someone.

The other Masked Assassin leading the group, wearing a dark-blue mask, felt the same way. Though he was far more calm than his counterpart. He knew he had to say something, otherwise, they might lose sight of what needed to be done.

Placing a hand on the crimson-masked leader, he said, "We can deal with whomever did this to her later. Right now, what's more important, is to get her back home."

"I…I know that," he hissed. He closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. "I know that, brother. Still…"

The turquoise-masked-wearing leader shook his head. "Enough. There will be time later. We have overstayed our welcome here." Turning to the others that were with them and under their command, he added, "Let us go back home. Retribution will come later."

Theirs was a murmur of agreement.

And even though it left a bad taste in their mouth, they knew they had no choice but to leave. They had found the one they sought. But they knew their mission in Republic City was far from over.

Not only did they need to get to the bottom of whomever did this to Lin Bei Fong, but they also had yet to find another missing family member－Opal.

Councilman Tarrlok couldn't control the smile that seem to grow on his face with each passing second. Even amidst the chaos and turmoil that surrounded him, he took each stride inside the Republic's Central Seat of Government with such confidence and calm that was a stark contrast to everything else.

From around him, government employees were running and screaming, trying to get away from those who had taken into their own hands the change they wanted to happen. They tried to get away. Some did, others found themselves being dragged by the hair, kicking and screaming.

There would be people who would comment how extreme it all was, but the proud Councilman could not find the time to care. This was a revolution. A coup d'etat.

It was true, however, that there was no need for violence. If only President Raiko would hand his government peacefully, but alas the President's grip on power was strong.

What a fool! Councilman Tarrlok thought to himself as he stopped briefly to scan his surroundings once more, taking in the violence that had spread as his hired men set about their work. Can he not see that this will only get worse? I already have the military under my command, whether he accepts it or not.

And it was true. It took a while, and a whole lot more bribing and goading to get them to agree to his terms. To see the true state of the nation. To see that there was nothing "great" about the Republic now and that only he could bring about the change the nation needed.

Only he could save them.

There were those that didn't believe his words, of course. But he made short work of them, demonstrating that they were not merely words. He showed them the proof they needed to believe and sowed fear and awe in them through the use of the gloves he had in his possession.

The gloves. They were his ticket to power. And they have proved useful time and time again. He wanted to keep them a secret; to make sure none could rebuild and remake it. He had wanted to ensure Varrick's silence, but the inventor had made himself scarce, vanishing to who-knows-where with his family. Save for the young man they had called their son, the Councilman knew nothing of their whereabouts.

It was frustrating, but the fact that he had the famed Mover Star under close watch gave him leverage. It was a security blanket, one he knew that the boy's adopted father also understood.

The decision to have Bolin watched proved to be the right decision, indeed, when he received Captain Xiao's correspondence. It was that call that had heralded his plot forward; gave it momentum.

The Avatar had been found. And she－along with Hiroshi Sato's daughter－had made contact with him. Captain Xiao was not entirely certain as to why and how the Sato girl even knew of the Mover Star, or why the Avatar had sought him out. But whatever the reason may have been, it was something the good Captain had vowed to get to the bottom of.

Still, now that he knew where the Avatar was, he could set his plan to motion and do as he had promised those that followed him: save the Republic－which was exactly what he did. Hence, the on-going coup.

"Councilman!" A young, scruffy-looking man called up to him as he resumed walking. By the looks of his attire and the ribbon of cloth tied around his left arm, Councilman Tarrlok surmised that he was with the Agni Kai Triad.

The Councilman stopped in his tracks to allow the young Agni Kai Triad member to come close. He tried not to look at the young man with displeasure, after all, their gang's services were needed and it wouldn't do to show them anything other than the illusion that they were on equal footing with him.

Try as he might, however, Tarrlok couldn't help but raise his chin slightly at the young man and sniff as he asked, "What is it?"

"We've found out where Raiko is holed up," the young man grinned, showing off his yellowing teeth. He pointed towards the spiraling and sprawling staircase, "He's locked himself up in his office. Barricaded the door and everything."

"And how certain are you of this information?" the politician asked.

"Deathly certain." The young Agni Kai Triad member grinned. "We got it off a reliable source."

"Reliable source?" Out of everything the young criminal had spoken, this was the first that really piqued Tarrlok's interest.

As if on cue, a couple of the other gang members appeared from his peripheral vision. They dragged with them a woman. Though her appearance was anything but pristine, it wasn't difficult to recognize who she was even from afar.

The grin that had been momentarily wiped from his face by the appearance of the young man returned then. It was impossible not to think that everything was going along nicely for him. As though fate was lining the pieces up just for his victory.

"First Lady Buttercup Raiko," Councilman Tarrlok greeted as the group threw the old woman down on the floor, skidding on the ground in front of the councilman. "I am so glad you could join us."

Truly. It was as if fate was making this all too easy for him.

Asami ran as fast as she could, knowing she would have to muster her speed if she wanted to catch up to the Avatar who would undoubtedly have gone far already, if she were to judge the distance by the speed with which Korra had left the opulent inn.

It was for this reason the brilliant, young woman did not expect to literally run into her deity-turned-human friend just as she was rounding the corner that led to their own, modest inn.

She was certain she had rammed into the Avatar at full first, but Korra did not budged from where she stood. She didn't even seem to be hurt by the impact, judging from the quick glance and the raised eyebrow Korra provided her. Asami, on the other hand, felt sore. She knew Korra was all muscle. But she had forgotten how hard and firm those muscles were. Not that she had anything to go by, really, save for that moment when she had to take care of the Avatar as she lay unconscious from saving an entire village from the raging magma that threatened to destroy it and the lives within it.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to reminisce.

"Korra? What－?" Asami's question died in her throat as she noticed it wasn't just Korra who was in the middle of the busy streets, but Opal and Kai as well…and they looked distraught. "Opal? Kai? What are you both doing out here?" Then to Opal, she added another question, "I thought we agreed to meet up at the inn?"

"Yeah…" Opal drew out the word for all of its worth. "But that was before Kai here came barging in with a kind of…problematic news…"

"Why do I have a feeling I don't want to hear what it is?" Asami muttered.

With Korra being so close to her, she managed to hear those words. Her lips quirked into an amused smile－which she didn't bother to hide.

"Well, I do not think we have an option on that matter, Asami," the Avatar playfully teased. Yet, that mirth in her eyes vanished when she returned to face Opal with the very same question that the Prodigy wanted to ask. "Much as I too would rather not hear about another difficulty within our mission, I fear as though this is something we have to hear about. So, out with it."

As Opal was just trying to share with them the news with as much tact as possible, Kai chose not to take the roundabout route in telling his liege about this so-called "problem".

Without much preamble, the messy-haired steward blurted out, "Mako has escaped" so fast that it actually took a second for both Korra and Asami to actually process what he had just said. By then, Opal had also begun to tell of how Kai had come to her with the news and how the both of them had returned to the downed airship, searching every nook and cranny for the Mercenary only to turn up with neither hide nor hair of him.

"H-Hold on a second," Asami finally managed to interject when Opal had taken the time to stop her barrage of words in favor of breathing. "Mako has escaped?"

Kai nodded vigorously, and with an annoyed tone replied, "Weren't you listening? That was precisely what we've just said!"

"Are you certain?" Korra could not accept that the human have escaped. It was impossible. He was bound by the wind as per her orders. "A mere human couldn't possibly have found a way to break through those bindings."

"Well, a mere human or not, Mako did escape, there is no mistake about it." Opal huffed, crossing her arms. "We practically turned the entire airship inside-out just to make sure."

"But…how?" The crease on the Avatar's forehead deepened. She crossed her eyes and placed a knuckled hand on her chin in thought.

As Korra wondered to herself how the shackles had been taken off from Mako's person, Asami broached another inquiry.

"Was there any sign of where he escaped to?" she asked. She then remembered another thing that acted as a safeguard to keep the Mercenary from escaping, and added that as well to the conundrum they faced. "Or how he even managed to leave the room? I mean, we did break the door's mechanism from the inside to keep him from leaving…"

"He must have found another way," Kai replied not bothering to hide his own frustrations. "But when we got there, the door was closed and it didn't have any signs of being tampered with. Even the windows were still locked as tight as when we left them."

Silence overshadowed the group as they wondered how the Mercenary might have escaped. It was like a riddle they could find no answer to; a great perplexity that left them all feeling that they might be missing something. What that something might be, they couldn't say nor begin to guess.

After a while, Kai finally shook them all from their thoughts, bringing to light the most important question of all:

"What are we to do now, Lady Korra?"

Korra didn't answer immediately. This prompted Kai to add, "If it pleases you, My Lady, I am willing to go and track down this mercenary and bring him back into our custody."

That got Korra to snap her eyes open and to immediately shoot down the idea presented to her, saying, "You will do no such thing, Kai. I would rather all of you be kept as close to my watch as possible. It would do us no good to go our separate ways now. Not when there is a high possibility that that human would come to collect what he was paid to."

Those words, there was no doubt, was directed at Asami and Korra did not bother to hide the fact. Her eyes bore into the young inventor as though she was waiting for her to speak up against what was just spoken. But Asami had no plans to do so. She was under no illusion that Mako would forget about the job he had been given by her father.

Mako, she knew, was a dangerous man. Anyone who would let their will be swayed by money always was. Try as she might, the young Sato heiress could also not forget the way he had looked at her when he admitted to the reason for their paths crossing yet again.

A shiver ran through her spine at the memory and Asami unconsciously rubbed her arms as though it would ward those thoughts and feelings away.

But, ultimately, it was Korra's next words that made her calm down.

"That man can come at us as many times as he likes," Korra had spoken with such fierce determination and confidence. "But he won't succeed. He might boast about always getting the job done, but this time I will make sure he has met his match and he would always be going back home empty handed."

Korra's words, however, did not have the same effect on Opal who simply shook her head and said, "Your confidence truly is astounding, Korra. And if you're that confident, then I guess you and Asami managed to snag us a ride?"

In a blink of an eye, Korra's entire demeanor changed. And even without the explanation that Asami soon provided the aspiring Historian and the Avatar's Steward, Opal had already known that their attempt to get a ride was a bust.

"In the hopes of sounding repetitive, I just have to ask, what now?" the young Bei Fong asked.

She was met with a shrug from both the Avatar and Asami, neither knew of what course of action to take now that their initial plan had been a failure.

In the end, the group agreed to stay one more night in the tourist-infested town, hoping that, perhaps, another day's rest might give them enough time to think of a new plan to get to the Fire Nation's capital.

It was all he could do to lock himself up in his office, a pistol his sole weapon to defend himself with. Even when he could hear the clamor outside, the shouts and pleas for help, he could do nothing.

It is for the best, he had to tell himself several times. It is for the sake of the Republic.

But was it the truth, really? He wasn't too certain if he was doing this for the sake of his nation or for his own. He was afraid of those who had come to overthrow the very government he had worked hard for.

Alone, in his office, President Raiko's mind also brought for visions of his wife. She had been separated from him. His only hope the security he had hired for her, but even then his trust in them wavered. He had, after all, seen that some of the men who had come and answered the call for a coup were from the very army sworn to serve and protect the people of the United Republic.

He couldn't help but chuckling bitterly at the thought. There was nothing "united" about the republic now. It was crumbling, being destroyed by one thing after another. This coup was just another of the problems that threatened to bring the Republic down.

The President of the United Republic of Nations looked at the gun in his hands. It's weight grounding him. He, admittedly, wasn't good with guns. He wasn't good with violence. But, at that moment, when the world seemed to be crashing down on him, his mind played on the thought of an easy escape.

It would no doubt be painful.

But perhaps only for a moment…

It certainly would solve all of his problems. Just one pull of the trigger; one bullet. And it will be all over.

Every second that passed, the gun seemed to weigh more and more in his hands. Whenever he perchance a glance, the pistol seemed to become larger, as if it was the only thing he could see; the only thing now that his mind could process.

He didn't want the humiliation that would come when the traitors finally realized where he was and breached through the doors of his office. He didn't even think he would survive the night. It seemed inevitable that his end was nigh.

It wouldn't make much of a difference, will it?

His hands shook as he truly considered his options. His fears muddled his thoughts.

Just as he was about to make his decision－one that would be his last－there was a loud crashing sound on his door. A sound of hard wood meeting hard wood. They have finally found where he was and were going to break through his office's door.

President Raiko whimpered then. Another look at his pistol. Another shaky breath. Then he slowly pulled it towards his temple, aligning the barrel just perfectly.

His finger was on the trigger. It seemed to be warring with his desire to end it, making it difficult for him to let the gun do its thing. Though he also wondered if it was just his finger and not his own desire to survive.

As he was about to pull the trigger, he was once again kept from doing so by a familiar voice at the other side of the door.

"President Raiko, we know you're inside."

Tarrlok! The President growled. He had wondered who was behind this coup d'etat. Now he knew. It made sense that it would be Tarrlok.

"Come now, you don't have to pretend that you are not there." Tarrlok went on when he didn't answer. "You may choose to hide, but I grow tired of this game and so have my men. It is over, Mister President. Surrender now and no one gets hurt."

Victor Raiko did not believe the Councilman's promise. He didn't trust him, and wondered why he ever did.

A loud sigh. It was as if the world outside of his office had suddenly grown deathly quiet, his hearing becoming stronger.

"You leave me no choice, Victor." Gone were the remnants of respect Tarrlok had previously laced his words with.

The bespectacled president readied himself. He put the gun's barrel away from his temple, instead aiming it straight to the doors that now had been badly damaged. If he was going to fall, he would try to take Tarrlok with him.

But, the one who spoke again was not the ambitious councilor.

"V-Victor, please!" The voice was shaky, nasal from the tears shed light torrents of flood. But there was no mistaking his wife's voice.

"B-Buttercup!?" President Raiko couldn't believe it. He had thought her to be safe! Prayed that she was!

"Now, let us in, Victor," again Councilman Tarrlok spoke. "You don't want anything to happen to your lovely wife, do you?"

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Raiko shouted as he rushed towards the door.

He didn't waste another moment as he hurriedly took the locks and bolts off. Another second later and the doors swung open with such force that the President had to jump back to keep himself from being hit by the doors that were thrown off their hinges.

Immediately, people came flooding into his office. All of them were Tarrlok's men: armed, masked soldiers, members of the United Republic Armed Forces, and a number of triad members. And, in the midst of them was the Councilman himself, beside whom was Buttercup Raiko whose hands were bound behind her back.

"Buttercup!" The President wanted to run towards her, but a single step caused all armed men in the room to train their guns towards him. "Let her go, Tarrlok. She has nothing to do with your ambitions!"

"I wouldn't say 'nothing'," Tarrlok drawled. "She has proved herself useful thus far, after all. Now, why don't you throw away that gun, Victor. You won't be able to do anything with it, after all. My men would shoot you down even before you can fire a single bullet."

As if to show that the Councilman meant business, a couple of his men trained their guns on Buttercup. And though the thoughts of suicide has been chased away from the President's mind, he couldn't bear the thought of dying now. Not in front of his wife. Not with the threat on her life still looming close.

With an angry grunt, Victor Raiko threw the gun with as force as he could muster away from him, though he did not throw it towards Tarrlok. He didn't need the Councilman to have another weapon under his disposal.

"Perfect," Tarrlok allowed a smile, then took a step forward. "Now, let's talk business, shall we?"

There could have been a million things she was doing right at that moment other than being locked up in the room she was sharing with the others. Okay, well, maybe not a million things, but there certainly would have been other better things to do. But, as it stood, she didn't feel like doing any of them. And she wasn't the only one who could find no inspiration to do anything fruitful.

Like herself, Asami was sprawled on her bed doing nothing thus far save for blankly staring at the wall, possibly trying to come up with another feasible way of getting them all safely to their destination. The only one who seemed to have found something to do were Korra and Kai. The former sat, cross-legged on a corner of their shared room in deep meditation, while the latter was off somewhere with Naga, hopefully not getting themselves into trouble (but Opal wasn't going to be surprised if he ended up knee-deep in one either way).

She had, of course, tried to strike a conversation with Asami, unfortunately the Prodigy was not in the mood for conversation, merely grunting an answer and even at times completely ignoring her friend.

It was one of the reasons why the aspiring, young historian ended up watching the Avatar as she meditated.

Korra's meditation was a deep one. Although the way she sat looked painful and difficult for Opal to mimic－save the way her fists were touching together, that one was easy－the Avatar looked at peace. Her face, as was her demeanor, was filled with calmness Korra didn't seem to exude much when she was awake.

The young Bei Fong wondered how the Avatar's meditation was going. Before she had taken her meditative stance, Korra didn't give much information as to why she was going to commune the Realm of the Spirits. The moment they had returned to their room, she had excused herself and immediately went about in that little corner. She had been there ever since.

As Opal stared at Korra in her quietness, there were moments when she thought she was seeing something. Minuscule pinpricks of glowing, balls of light far too different from those that she remembered would appear around the Avatar whenever she had used the Elemental Spirits'. Whenever she tried to get a good look at them and actually put her all attention to these strange lights no bigger than a grain of rice, they would vanish as though they were not there to begin with and her eyes were merely playing tricks on her.

It was curious. Though Opal discounted them as nothing out of the ordinary coming from the Avatar, she couldn't help but move closer to the darker-skinned girl in the hopes of getting a clearer view of this strange phenomena.

It was during such an attempt when Asami finally snapped out of whatever reverie she was in, catching Opal by surprise when she asked, hissing the words as much as she was whisper-shouting them, "What are you doing?"

It was all Opal could do not to let out a high-pitched noise that could have shaken the Avatar from her meditation. Whirling around, she saw that Asami had sat up on her bed and was looking at her with one of her elegant eyebrows raised, an unreadable expression in her eyes that was not just borne from curiosity but of something else Opal couldn't quite pinpoint.

"I wasn't doing anything," her words rushed out and made it sound as though she really was up to something. It was no wonder that her best friend didn't believe her.

"Opal…" there was a hint of warning with the way Asami had said her name.

The Historian rolled her eyes. "Really. I wasn't going to go poke the Avatar or doodle with her face. I am not that desperate for something to do."

"Why do I have a hard time believing you weren't planning on doing one of those things?" The Prodigy crossed her arms. That expression Opal had seen in her eyes had passed and had morphed into something akin to playfulness－a look Asami rarely wore back when they were finishing their respective studies. "You looked like a cat stalking a mouse."

Opal huffed, crossing her own arms. "I was not!"

Though, it was hard to actually make that believable considering she had just been crawling towards Korra a few moments ago and was still kneeling on the ground as of that moment.

It was Asami's turn to roll her eyes. What followed, however, was no longer a playful jab but a serious note from the Prodigy, "You know Korra isn't going to be happy if you end up interrupting her meditation in favor of whatever it was that had caught your interest. She may have gotten lax with us, but Korra on 'Avatar Mode' is still not a person you should probably mess around with."

"I don't know," Opal rose to her feet and walked back to their bedside, only to unceremoniously dump herself on Asami's bed. "There are times when even if she was doing her thing as the Avatar, Korra still manages to be somewhat playful about it."

The young Sato mused over what her friend had said. And from the way her expression had changed, Opal guessed Asami had come to the same conclusion as she did.

"I…suppose so," the Prodigy conceded. "But I also think this is…different."

"Different?"

Asami nodded. "Think about it, Opal. Korra is once again backed into a corner because of my friend's refusal to help. I am sure she must be wracking her brain trying to figure out how to get to the Fire Nation Capital." A sigh escaped her lips then, before she continued saying, "She could get their quickly, if she wanted to though…"

Opal had no doubt Korra could indeed do just that. And she knew where Asami got that idea from.

"She could. It would be so easy for her to just fly herself there and just get this whole search for the Elemental Cores going," The Historian agreed. "But try telling the Avatar that she could leave us behind and let's see how far you will get with that conversation."

Asami chuckled at the thought. "I do not wish to have another argument with her so soon. Still, I am worried that we might be slowing her down."

"Maybe so, but something tells me Avatar Korra has gotten herself quite fond with us," she looked back at the Avatar who was oblivious to the fact that she was their topic of choice. At the same time, Opal couldn't help but think, Though I am more than certain with whom Korra seemed to really have found interest in.

The Avatar had never felt her skin prickle and crawl. There had never been anything that made her jumpy either. After all, why would she feel any kind of distress when she had Alignak and the others with her; when she was omnipotent and unstoppable?

Even when Korra had traversed into the Realm of the Spirits through her meditations, there was nothing that disturbed her to the point that she wanted to leave as quickly as she had arrived without completing her task.

That could not be said now, however, as she gazed upon the unfamiliar expanse that the Spirit World had become.

There was no color. No life.

As far as her eyes could see, and as much as she allowed herself to travel from one point of the realm to the other while being tethered in her mortal coil, she could find nothing－not even a hint－of how the Realm of the Spirits had been prior to this drastic change.

Inky darkness and murky shadows flexed and coiled around her. They pooled around the Avatar, elongating into long tendrils, like bony hands, trying to get hold of her. A heavy miasma hung overhead bringing about a feeling of wrongness.

Yes, wrongness. That was indeed what it was. Everything feels wrong. Everything is wrong.

Yet, much as Korra wanted to jump back into her own skin and flee the place she was meant to bring balance to, she couldn't. Not until she found the Light Spirit that had aided her before－or any good spirit, for that matter, that could aid her now.

Spirits, she knew, were vastly more knowledgeable than humans. That was what Korra had been hoping to glean from her visit: the spirits' knowledge.

But there was nowhere to gather insights from. She couldn't find any kind of spirit, save those that were malicious which she had steered clear from. Korra didn't know why she thought them malicious, save from the way their eyes had glowed an eerie red. They hadn't made an actual move to harm her, all they did was stand on their big, shadowy bodies, following her every movements.

She didn't want to admit it, but they unsettled her. As did the cold that seeped through her very core; a cold that was different from the frostiness of her homeland. She had grown up in the cold, but not like this.

She shivered, momentarily marveling that she did, before admitting there was nothing for her in the Spirit Realm. Wherever the spirits had gone, she did not know. All she knew was they were not there. She hoped they were in hiding. But somehow, something told her that wasn't the case.

As she was getting her consciousness ready to go back to the mortal realm, the Avatar snagged her foot on a protruding root of a gnarled Spirit Tree, causing her to stumble and fall, her knees and hands touching the darkness-infested ground.

There was a moment when Korra held her breath, hoping that she had not just literally stumbled herself into trouble. Just when she thought that the coast was clear, however, her hands began to glow dimly. And though it was only for the briefest of moments, it was enough－whatever it was that had happened－to bring to life the dark creatures that had, up until that point, remained unmoving.

Quickly, but at the same time carefully, getting to her feet, the Avatar watched with trepidation as the shadowy-looking spirits of various shapes and sizes began to twitch as though life had just been breathe into them. She made sure not to make any sudden movements.

And yet, even when she was moving as slow as an Opossum Bat doing its thing, those strange-looking spirits suddenly－and as one－all turned to look at her. Their eyes, she noticed, glowed more crimson now than they had before.

Then they began to move.

Their movements were stranger than the way they looked. It was as if they had physical form, but at the same time were as fluid as a gooey substance. And they moved fast. Much faster than they should be able to.

Foregoing the notion of moving slowly, Korra immediately straightened. Though she could take these creatures on (they were still spirits, after all, in the Spirit Realm－or so she hoped), the Avatar had a feeling she better not; that instead of fighting against them, she should get herself away from that place.

Proud as she was, Korra will never admit to what she did next. She ran. She ran away from those creatures that had taken an interest to her, moving as fast as she could. Jumping from one part of the Spirit World to the next. Still, no matter how fast she jumped, the dark spirits were never too far behind.

I have to get out of here, she told herself the most obvious course of action. But even if she knew what she had to do, she found it difficult to jump from one plane of existence to the next whilst moving. The Avatar had always traversed the Mortal and Spirit realms calmly, in a meditative way, never while she was in motion. And so, doing it now, while in the heat of a chase, was proving difficult for her.

What's more troubling was the fact that she was getting tired－an impossible feat considering where she was.

She shouldn't be able to get tired in the Realm of the Spirits, and yet her legs were getting heavy as the miasma that was covering the world of the spirits grew thicker and thicker until it was like a dense fog.

Spirits, Korra thought even as she pushed herself to run. What is going on?

Korra knew she shouldn't panic, but when she found herself suddenly and inexplicably surrounded by those dark creatures, she felt that emotion rising up within her. Even when she was no longer running; even when she could have been able to whisk herself away from that place; her mind drew a blank.

Closer and closer the dark beings came, slinking towards the young Avatar until they were just a couple of arm's length away. They blocked whatever exit she might have had, leaving her trapped. Her only method of escape seemingly too difficult to accomplish.

Just when they were about to overcome her, there was a bright flash of light that momentarily blinded, not just the shadowy creatures, but herself as well. This was soon followed by a soft voice that spoke directly in Korra's mind.

"Calm down, Avatar Korra," the words were pacifying and gentle. It sounded familiar but at the same time did not, just as how it had sounded close and at the same time very far away. "I can buy you some time, but you have to make haste and leave this place at once."

"Who are you?" the words escaped Korra's lips as she tried to get her sight back in order.

"Who I am is not important. Your safety is. The Dark Spirits have stirred. They have been awakened by your presence. You must leave lest they take you completely. Do not let them touch you." Then, the voice repeated, "I will buy you time. Make haste and return to the realm of mortals. Hurry."

The urgency by which the voice had spoken, kept the Avatar from insisting her questions be answered. It also gave her the bearings she needed in order to get herself ready to break her connection with the Spirit Realm.

Slowly, but surely, she could feel her earthly tethers. At the same time, she could sense that the light was ebbing from whomever it was that had come to her rescue and that the creatures－the Dark Spirits, as the voice had called them－were beginning to make their move as well. They were more agitated than they had been prior to that burst of light.

Again the voice pleaded for the Avatar to hurry.

It was only when the light had dimmed immensely and the Dark Spirits had regained their senses that Korra finally felt herself being drawn back to the material world.

Before she could complete the transition, however, she felt something brush her leg, slithering as it grabbed hold of her if only for a moment.

The last thing Korra heard from the Spirit World was the voice that shouted a distressed "No!"

Opal thought she should probably make a rule against people surprising her. Especially when done consecutively.

It hadn't even been half an hour since she had tried to get a close look at the luminescent particles that seemed to have risen up from Korra's meditation and when Asami had given her a fright, and now her heart almost jumped out of her when the Avatar suddenly blasted herself up with the aid of the wind.

The sudden gust of wind catapulted not just the Avatar upwards, but also a bunch of other stuff in the room, including decorations that got smashed to bits as soon as they hit the walls, ceiling, and the floor. But it seemed whatever it was that had gotten Korra to use her airbending still clouded the Avatar's judgement as she failed to keep herself from hurtling over to the other side of the room, hitting her back forcefully on the wall between Asami and Opal's beds and loudly crashing to the ground.

"Korra!" both Asami and Opal clambered up and towards the groaning Avatar in worry as she struggled to get up, a hand caressing her head that had also made impact.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"What the heck was that?"

They knew they probably were asking too many questions too quickly.

"I apologize," Korra winced as she spoke, sitting on the ground as she looked sheepishly at the two, very worried young women beside her. "Something just caught me off-guard while meditating. I'm fine."

Opal didn't believe what Korra had said, but she didn't voice it out. Not like Asami who quickly asked, "Are you sure?"

The Avatar nodded, pushing herself up. She winced once more when her she put weight on her left foot, but quickly shook the expression away.

"I'm a bit sore, that is all." Korra admitted. She then looked around at the mess she created of their room and apologized.

The Historian followed the Avatar's sights and shrugged, "Well, at least we now have something to do."

Asami was about to open her mouth, ready for a quip, when suddenly, from the spot Korra had been meditating in, a pool of darkness emerged.

It was small, at first, like a shadow cast by a lying object. But in mere seconds, it grew in size until half of the room was already covered in this murky and inky darkness. The three, young women watched in horror, dumbstruck by the scene before them, as the darkness spread further and further.

"Korra…" Though her voice sounded calm, she was anything but. Asami felt her throat had dried. She swallowed a thick lump on her throat before allowing herself to continue, "What is that?"

But even the Avatar was at a lost, muttering questions such as "How can this be?" and "How did they get here?". Though those questions in and of themselves gave Opal and Asami the idea that Korra knew a bit of what was going on.

"Should we really be standing around here asking these things? Or should we run?" The young Bei Fong asked, looking in awe as much as in fear at the blob of darkness rising from the large, shadowy pool.

There was a brief flash of remembrance in the Avatar's face before she grabbed each of her companions' hands and saying, "Run. We definitely should run."

That was all that was needed to be said before Korra sped out of the room with Opal and Asami in tow.

As they rushed out of the room, they came across the innkeeper who had heard the loud noises emanating from the room they had rented.

As he saw them, he asked, "Hey, what was those loud noises about?" Then realized they were running haphazardly away. "Hey, no running in hallways!"

"Sorry!" Opal managed to shout back.

Whether the innkeeper heard her or not, Opal didn't know. For as soon as they had run past the innkeeper, the darkness that had emerged from their room burst out like a tsunami. It was then followed by a scream.

The other patrons of the inn who heard the innkeeper's cry, all looked up and saw for themselves the reason for it. It didn't take long before pandemonium broke loose as they all tried to save themselves by rushing out of the building, bumping into the Avatar and her companions on their way.

Asami watched, appalled by what she had just witnessed. She saw for herself how the wave of darkness had swallowed the innkeeper and everything it touched. She opened her mouth to say something, but was once again cut off.

"Keep your eyes up front, Asami!" Opal shouted at her, doing as what she had instructed. "We have to keep ourselves on our toes."

"R-Right," The Prodigy agreed.

As they rushed out of the inn, Opal didn't know what to expect. She had thought that the darkness only consumed the inn, but the moment they stepped out, she was proven wrong. The darkness had been unleashed. The sun that had been shinning and basking everything around it with its warmth and light had been blotted out by a thick fog of shadow. All around them, the entire Shu Jing area was being overrun by strange, umbrageous, hulking creatures.

Seeing them, Korra stopped running and so the two, young women with her.

"N-No…" they heard the Avatar let out as close to a defeated whisper as they thought she could manage.

As the darkness-infested creatures began to terrorize the citizenry, the entire Shu Jing was filled with a cacophony of panicked screams and frightened cries that echoed throughout. It was like the Dragon Flatt Buroughs all over again.

Before any other thoughts could flow through them, a loud barking was heard followed by Kai's voice calling out, "Avatar Korra, Asami, Opal!"

All three whirled towards the direction of Kai's voice and found the Avatar's Steward riding atop Naga, who was heading towards them in such a speed that no animal her size could have been able to muster.

The Polar Bear Dog stopped in front of the Avatar, and without dismounting the beast, Kai gave them an overview of what was going on from whence he came.

"Lady Korra," he began. "The entire town, it suddenly got covered in darkness. And those creatures," he pointed to a couple that had taken to chasing a few locals, "they appeared with it. What happened?"

Not much of an overview, Opal sighed. She had hoped to hear something of note from the young man, only to find that he was just as clueless as they were.

"They're…Dark Spirits," Korra spoke slowly, as though she didn't want to say the words themselves. "They came from the Spirit World…"

"Dark Spirits?" It was the first Opal had heard of such things. None in the legends and myths she had encountered spoke of them. And judging from the deep frown Kai was supporting, the same could be said of the young steward.

"I know nothing of them, save for what they are called," the Avatar admitted. "And the feeling that they are dangerous. We cannot let them touch us. We must make haste away from this place." Then, turning to the two, young women with her, she added, "Ride Naga with Kai, both of you. I will create a path for all of you to safely travel."

"Are you sure you're up to that, Korra? You don't look like you're in top form."

Opal had to agree with Asami's assumption. Korra looked pale and she seemed to be favoring her right foot as she stood. Whatever had happened while she was meditating, it had done a number on the Nia Bayou native.

Korra gave the Prodigy an insulted look. She puffed her chest, and replied, "I am the Avatar, Miss Sato. These sort of things are a piece of cake for me."

Opal didn't know if the smug look on Korra's face after that was from finally getting an idiomatic expression right, or if it was from something else. What she was certain of was that the Avatar was speaking far too confidently than how she actually felt.

Asami sighed. She too knew that Korra was just acting tough. "Alright. So, where are we headed? If the entire Shu Jing is under this darkness, then would it not be safe to assume that the entire island is as well? The darkness seems to be expanding quickly, after all."

Everyone was silent as they thought of their next course while Korra also kept the Dark Spirits at bay with her bending. It was Kai who came up with a (shall he say it? Brilliant) plan, though one he kept in the dark, only going so far as to say that he actually had one.

"The port." the Avatar's Steward pointed a finger to its direction. "Let's go there."

Asami shot Kai a look. She had a feeling what the young man had up his sleeves. Catching the way she was looking at him, Kai turned to assuage her worries as she and Opal were helped mount Naga.

"Don't worry, we're not going to get in any more trouble than we're already in. Besides, no one would notice if we slip in together with the other people who certainly will make use of one of the airships to flee this place."

Korra nodded, accepting Kai's explanation, even when neither Opal nor Asami thought things could be so easy as how the Avatar's Steward claimed it to be. But, with no other options presented to them, and with their own airship still in disarray, they really had no choice on the matter.

"Are you all ready?" Korra asked. When the three humans nodded their heads, Korra turned to the two young women and added, "Hold tightly on Naga. She senses something is wrong with this place so, the moment she goes off, she will be much faster than you both are used to."

True enough, they could feel Naga rumbling underneath as she let out a deep growl. Her teeth were barred and her fur was standing on end. The Polar Bear Dog was tensed.

And if the Avatar's Spirit Animal is acting like this, Opal mused. That should say quite a lot about whatever these Dark Spirits are…

Hearing Korra's instructions, neither thought to question them as both Asami and Opal gripped Naga's fur tightly. The Avatar watched them for a heartbeat before nodding to herself.

"Make haste, Kai, Naga," she walked towards Naga's head, patting the large, furry, four-legged animal. "Do not let them touch you and under no circumstances are you allowed to slow down or stop until you've arrived at the port. I will make sure the way is open."

Kai nodded. "Good luck, Lady Korra."

The Avatar didn't bother to give a reply. She took a few steps forward, before taking a stance at the ready. She took a deep breath to calm herself, closing her eyes for good measure.

"Korra!" She heard Asami call out.

Snapping her eyes open, the Avatar cocked her head to the side as she glanced at the young woman, a questioning look on her face.

"Be careful."

Avatar Korra grinned, turned her back to them once again, and faced the path that led to the port－a path currently overrun by Dark Spirits and shadowy tendrils emerging from the ground.

She really didn't have anything to draw her confidence from, but at the face of danger with Asami and the others' safety on the line, Korra couldn't help but feel confident that she will be able to keep them safe.

She had too, after all.

There was no other alternative.

"I'm the Avatar," she heard herself saying in response. "I can deal with it."

Post Author's Notes:

And there you have it. Another chapter, done.

I am not sure if you guys can already guess who are behind those masks and who the leaders of the Masked Assassins are. But, I have a feeling most of you have it on point. :D

Also, Raiko...I try to get into his head as much as I at that particular scenario I wrote on him. I asked the question: What would go through the mind of a political leader when power is suddenly snatched from him in such a way as a coup? I think I did a good job of it...sort of.

Anyways, I hope this was to your liking and satiated you guys for the time being. I already have the next chapter, I am just waiting for my beta to finish so it all depends on him when the next update will be.

As always, I appreciate the support for this fanfic! Thank you very much! Feel free to leave a kudos (if you haven't already) if you've enjoyed the chapter, favorite it, bookmark it or whatever, and tell me what you think. I love hearing from you guys! :)

Untill the next update, stay strong, everyone!
Dream on; Fly on!