Sorry about the delay. Variety of things kept me busy, but anyway, don't forget to read and review, and most of all, enjoy :)
A lot had changed in his time away. The night life didn't seem to affect the city. In the dark was where it truly came to life.
Lanterns flickered in the streets. Stores, restaurants and bars swung their doors open, different lights and different radio stations vying for customer attention. In the seedy corners of the city lurked drug dealers and kingpins, their power shadows of what they once used to be. The level of prostitutes and homeless were down. The police force was stronger than ever.
Shin La hated it.
Night was supposed to be terrifying. Kids should be locked in their rooms, afraid of the monsters under their beds instead of frolicking outside with their friends. The streets were supposed to look grimy and stale, not smooth and clean. People were supposed to fear the dark, not thrive in it.
He would make them all see.
He moved like a ghost, shimmering and shifting in the alleyways as he followed his prey. He kept his distance but he never let him out of his sight. The young detective was on his way for a much needed drink with his friends. Perfect. He would need a new body before sunrise.
The guard hadn't lasted long. Sure, he could augment their abilities, but the skills had to be there to be increased. How on earth a non-bending police officer had risen up the chain of command to guard someone as notorious as Zaheer was beyond the demon. He must have been a hell of a detective or something.
That guard was currently lying in some tip outside the police station. They would find him in the morning, the murderer who broke the airbender's neck. He had served his purpose, his higher calling. Shin La would remember him, especially as the firebender he was stalking took a left turn and walked into the bar where he would undoubtedly be greeted by his brother, his friend and the Avatar.
Showtime.
"And so then, Kesh had to do the walk of shame through like six carriages," Bolin laughed, taking a swig out of the beer bottle as he did so. "He didn't play poker again for a long time."
The bar wasn't empty but it wasn't crowded either. The people either hadn't noticed the Avatar sitting with her friends in the small bar or they had and had decided to leave her to her own devices. Whatever the case, it was great for her and her friends to... well, act like themselves. Too many times was Mako caught up in a case or Asami in work. The world had seemed to change so quickly that they almost seemed to forget how young they actually were. For once, they could act like what they were; young adults having a good time.
Or at least they tried to. For no matter how much Bolin or Korra joked, there was always that underlying feeling of sadness just below the surface. Asami carried it with her, even though she had buried it pretty thoroughly for the night. It was always alarming when Mako participated more in conversation in a social gathering.
"Seriously?" Korra grinned. "He should have known better. Don't play poker with a woman."
"What are you talking about?" Mako snorted derisively at her comment. "We played once and you were terrible!"
"Yes, well on that occasion, I wasn't really focused on the cards," Korra quipped, referencing a memory that made Mako splutter into his drink. "Might have been that I wanted to lose."
"She's got you there bro," Bolin smiled devilishly. "Might try that with Opal though. You wouldn't mind that, would you?"
"If you move out and I can cauterise my eardrums, then yeah, I don't mind."
"You're no fun."
They continued to banter back and forth, trading witty quips and blows. Even Asami, who mostly just listened, found herself enjoying it. The experience felt... normal.
Maybe she could get past this, she thought.
"Yeah, we had some fun times on that train," Bolin sighed as she clued herself back into the conversation. "Before we found out she was a bloodthirsty, power-hungry psychopath anyway."
"I reserve the right to say I told you so," Mako deadpanned.
"Yeah, but this was when Wu was an idiot. Probably still is an idiot, if you think about it, a good hearted one, but still an idiot," Korra chimed in, trying to make sure the conversation didn't turn too melancholic. Even so, she couldn't help but notice Asami getting a faraway look in her eye.
Bolin must have noticed it too. "I don't want to bring the tone down here or anything," he stated, rubbing the back of his head as he chose his words carefully. "But Asami, how have you been doing lately?"
It was the burning question on both Mako's and Bolin's lips, and secretly the older brother was glad his sibling had asked. He would have had no clue how to ask her otherwise.
"Oh, you know, coping," she answered, doing her best not to sound too despondent. It hadn't escaped the brother's attention that she was the only one sipping water and not alcohol. "Gets hard some days. I'm about as good as can be expected."
Asami didn't miss the silent glance that Korra and Mako shared, as if he was asking the Avatar if she was really all right silently. It bothered for some reason. Their interaction was damn near telepathic.
That's how the night mostly went. Bantering back and forth to mask the awkward and unpleasantness. Asami tried to integrate herself into the conversations, she really did, but she couldn't help the forlorn feeling that always seemed to follow her around. Eventually it became too much. "I'd like to leave," she stated, interrupting something Bolin was saying. "If that's all right with all of you," she added hastily. "Maybe we could go for a walk or something?"
Their eyes shifted again, almost as if there was a silent meaning to them. "Yeah, sure," Bolin nodded. "Where would you like to go?"
Asami was about to respond when suddenly Mako cut in. "We should go to the park," he said, smile on his face. Asami may have imagined it, but for just a second, his amber eyes flickered to black. She stood up in shock.
She must have been loud, because it seemed that she had caught the attention of the entire bar. She felt a reassuring hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" Korra asked her, concern evident in her tone. She looked back to Mako again and, lo and behold, he held the same expression as Korra and Bolin. He was normal, orange eyed Mako. Nothing unusual about him.
"Yeah..." Asami trailed off, still uncomfortable with... whatever she saw. "Yeah, I'm fine. The park sounds like a great idea."
"Yeah, we can deface that giant Korra statue," Bolin grinned, earning a groan from the Avatar. "Or maybe we should update it? Wolf bangs are so last season, right Korra?"
It was funny, at least to her. The nervy, anxious feeling had nestled itself into her gut as they walked. Mako was acting normal, but Asami was positive she had seen something. Call it instinct or call it a hunch, she was sure something sinister was lying underfoot. The group made their way to the park, and to an outsider they would look inconspicuous. Normal. A group of adolescents having a good time.
But she could tell something was wrong. And instead of filling her with dread, she was left feeling more alive than she had in weeks.
She kept a close vigil on him, so much so that Bolin even made a joke about it. She'd laughed it off but she wouldn't be left unfocused. She slipped the electric glove she always concealed in her pocket on under her coat. She had to be ready, for whatever was about to happen.
Mako had been the first to arrive. Korra and herself had appeared soon after, while Bolin was late as Opal had gotten sick. Something she ate, apparently. It looked like her tummy troubles could've been a blessing in disguise. How much time did Mako have to himself before they walked in, she wondered. She pondered why she was so positive he was about to do something. It was Mako, for spirits sake. What on Earth would he do?
"Hey, easy there," Bolin laughed as she nearly fell to the ground as she stumbled into the earthbender's back. "We're here. Bask in the mediocrity that is fine sculpturing!"
She looked at the Avatar with the face of stone. She'd seen the figure before many, many times. Times when she needed reassurance from her best friend, even if she wasn't really there. Apart from the letters, it was the closest thing she could get for three years.
All through their journey, she had kept an eye on the firebender. And even with her back turned, she kept her guard up. That forward thinking would save a life.
She didn't see it, but she knew the sound well. The flicker of a flame, the swish of the arm.
The crackle of lightning.
Asami grabbed the Avatar and dove to the side, face-planting into the ground to avoid the blast. The light arc of electricity barely missed the two girls as they fell to the floor.
Korra had been standing right in front of monument, and now it bore the brunt of the attack. For a bolt so close and powerful, it stood no chance.
The head of the statue lurched forward with an unenviable sound, the creaking invading their ears while a guttural laugh passed Mako's lips. It leaned forward with a crash, slamming into the pavement.
Korra returned the favour to Asami as she grabbed the girl and rolled out of the way, finding herself staring into the stone, lifeless eyes of the sculpture. She looked back to the neck, smoking from the impact of the lighting blast. She scrambled to her feet.
"A metaphor, you might say," Mako laughed, black eyes glaring at the trio before him. "Everything burns."
Fire lit in his palm but instead of lobbing it at his friends he forged a blaze across the grass, engulfing the trees in the park. The plant life quickly succumbed to his fiery wrath as the temperature rose and smoke started to billow from the leaves.
"I understand that tree over there may have had sentimental value," Mako continued in a deep voice not his own. "A reminder of times gone by. You will never have times like those again."
Korra was the first to leap into action. Up until now they had all been staring in shock. The black eyes, the grating way in which he spoke was completely unnatural. Like it wasn't Mako.
"Who are you?" she demanded, the fire reflected in her eyes as the park began to smoke. "What have you done with Mako?" Bolin and Asami took formation behind her, waiting for the right time to strike. After all, it was Mako. They didn't want to be forced to actually hurt him.
"Nothing that he didn't wish to do himself," the dark declarations rolling off his lips. The vocalisation was too rich, too deep. "I cannot begin to tell you how much your darling hated that statue," he chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back.
"I'm only saying it once. What have you done with Mako?" Korra said again, but this time her voice measured into a growl. Slowly they began to advance. Instead of backing off however their friend walked to meet them.
"You will know soon enough," he stated, before unleashing a fireball upon them.
Korra immediately leant to the side to dodge the hit, before coming back with an attack of her own. A gust of wind that would unroot three men struck him but only succeeded in forcing him back. Bolin and Asami circled behind the villain. The three friends surrounded their possessed one, looking for a non-violent solution.
Mako snarled, and the sound he made wasn't human. It was like the roar of a dragon, only twisted and mellowed, resonating deep from the chest. Hiking up his sleeve, he ripped the cast that currently held his injured arm in place. He winced, before the black veins bulged and he smiled.
"Much better," he stated, throwing the cast aside.
Bolin tried to trap his feet in rock but Mako broke free, leaping high into the air before slamming back down with a torrent of flame, using his legs to encircle the group. Asami rushed forward to get in close. The general rule about benders was that they liked to keep enemies at a distance. From her experience, rarely did they know how to fight hand to hand apart from their traditional forms.
But the way Mako moved now... It wasn't natural. He seemed to writhe and distort out of place, like someone was bloodbending him. He danced around her, using combat moves she had never ever seen before. They looked ancient. And undoubtedly deadly.
"You fight like you've done it before," he smirked, ducking underneath her electrified jab. "And you probably have," he continued, leaning back to avoid her high kick. "But nothing in your arsenal can harm me." And with that he grabbed her leg and countered her next attack.
Whatever was possessing Mako must have lent him strength. Because with a simple tug of his arm she found her whole body flung forward and over his head, slamming head first into the ground. With minimal effort he picked her up by her leg and swung her round, using her own body as a human shield for the rocks Bolin was hurling at him.
Asami groaned as she tossed through the air towards the earthbender. Bolin had realised too late what their enemy had been up to. The boulders slammed into her abdomen and she couldn't hold back the scream. She felt the crack of her figure. A few ribs were broken, at least certainly cracked. She tried to rise but then slumped to the ground, her chest heaving. She couldn't keep fighting at the same intensity. She let herself fall to the grass, praying that Bolin and Korra could stop the menace.
Bolin rose from underneath Asami and set her down gently. He had never raised a hand to strike Mako. Never. Not even when he believed Mako stole Korra from him or when they had disagreed over Kuvira. The concept seemed alien. He'd been hoping to knock him out, but evidently a few rocks wouldn't be enough. Time to break out the big guns.
"Korra!" he yelled, his shout carrying across the short distance as he assumed his stance. "Get out of there!"
The Avatar chanced a look back as she heeded her friends advice, somersaulting away from Mako's fiery wrath as the ground around him bubbled. The earth beneath his feet began to shake as lava seeped from the skin of the planet, surrounding the demon in trench of molten rock, effectively trapping him.
But Shin La was not angry at this. If anything he applauded it. "Not bad," he appraised, his deep voice blurred through Mako's usual tone. "Lavebending, bloodbending, you've learned a lot in my time away. But some things don't change."
And then lightning erupted from his brother's fingertips. But not the usual electricity, no. Whereas Mako's normal blasts were white, the demon's colour was a rich, deep black, echoing the same dark shade as his veins and eyes. And it rocketed straight through Bolin's trap and headed right for him.
He barely threw up a barrier in time. His defence bore the brunt of the impact, but he could do nothing to prevent the ensuing explosion sending him crashing into a tree. He tumbled to the ground as the embers continued to burn around him. He tried to move but found his legs unwilling, pinned beneath the fallen oak. All he could do was hope that Korra could defeat this monster disguised beneath Mako's visage and fight the dull feeling of impending unconsciousness.
Korra had no hesitation, leaping towards the villain as soon as he fired at Bolin. But to her surprise instead of rushing to meet her Mako fell to the land.
The lightning must have weakened him, she thought. And then a raspy voice spoke.
"Korra..." Mako mumbled desperately, his face stuck in the dirt. "Look out he's..."
And then, in that one second where she let her guard down, she felt the ethereal presence behind her.
She immediately swung her leg up and fired at him without even needing to look, but instead of coiling back he surged forward, absorbing the hit. He took hold of her leg and kicked her to the ground.
He was on her in an instant, black tendrils emerging from his back like an overgrown spider. "Now, this," he cackled, his growl taking on a monstrous hint. "This is going to be fun!"
Korra didn't hold back, as she roared as loud as she could, sending a torrent of fire from her mouth like a dragon, straight through the spirits face. But to her surprise, he bore the brunt of the storm, and leaped down her throat.
Immediately she was wracked with pain. Her arms twisted, fingers contorted, scratching at the ground, at anything as she felt the phantom crawling around in her insides. She rose in the air quickly and then slammed back down, as her body crumpled. Everything hurt. Her stomach felt like it had been strangled. She tried to breath and she choked. Her throat tightened and her lungs wilted. Her head seemed like it was on fire as she clawed at her face, her nails seeping into her cheeks and drawing blood.
Asami, Bolin and Mako watched as the Avatar fought a torturous battle within her very soul.
She'd never even comprehended how something could be this painful. It felt like her very blood was rebelling, her heart fit to explode. She rolled over onto her stomach, her vision a dotted haze. Spots of red stopped her from discerning the figures that were undoubtedly her friends. Her neck started to rotate in a way that should have severed the link to her spine.
"I'll say this much," she heard, like he was actually inside her ear. "You fought better than Zaheer."
The words echoed in her mind as her synapses started to snap. And then, as her eyelids screwed shut and she felt herself falling into the void, instinct finally kicked in.
"Get. Out." The voice of the Avatar boomed as she rose into the air, a tornado surrounding her as her eyes glowed white. "Get. OUT!"
And then, impossible, as it seemed, she started to vibrate. Her pores opened and a thick black fog enveloped her like a second skin being pushed out as Shin La fought the sheer power of the Avatar State.
Korra flung her arms and then reached right into her chest and pulled the ghost out as he clawed at her, his fingers like hooks digging into her skin as he tried to resist.
But he couldn't. And for the first time since he returned he couldn't squirm out of her grasp. She physically held him in place as Korra stared right through him with her white eyes as they hummed with power.
She swung him around like a rag doll before throwing him through the air. He crashed into the remains of her statue, the stone actually cutting into him and making him wince. He was a demon. It didn't make sense. Demons couldn't bleed.
"Now, that," he snarled. "That actually hurt!"
Korra simply stared at him and Shin La needed no invitation. For the first time in the battle he moved with a real sense of urgency, floating towards Bolin's vulnerable form. The earthbender, as weakened as he was, put up no resistance, and with his enhanced strength he kicked the tree off of him and faced his opponents.
Asami was back on her feet. So was Mako. And while Korra had come down from her Avatar state induced high, she still looked downright murderous. So Shin La did the smart thing.
He turned and ran.
It was funny, but the only thing Korra could think of was that Bolin had gotten substantially quicker in the three years she'd been away. He weaved in and out of alleyways, vaulted across busy streets filled with traffic. With Asami's injury and Mako's sluggishness they were barely able to keep up with him.
She had wondered why she came out of the Avatar State so quickly. It felt... different that time. Like Shin La had done something to her. She resoleved to find out what when they caught him.
But Bolin knew these streets inside and out. He'd grown up in them. Add to that knowledge that Shin La was undoubtedly boosting his abilities and it was no surprise they were having trouble tagging him.
Their chase led them to a warehouse. With an annoyed growl, Shin La earthbended the locked doors open, before glaring back at the trio, almost daring them to follow.
They obliged. They had no choice.
"Are you okay, Asami?" Korra asked as the woman in question gasped. They entered the building before she could respond, the doors swishing behind them. "You took a nasty knock. To be honest I'm surprised you're still standing, let alone racing after us."
"I'm fine," she replied. Korra frowned. She didn't look fine. While there was no blood, Korra could only imagine the bruising she must have sustained. Running at breakneck speed through a busy street would only aggravate the injury. "I'd ask you the same thing. For a moment there, I thought... you looked like something out of a horror mover, Korra. How can you just shrug that off?"
They studied the inside of the warehouse as Korra replied, the corridors and the darkness giving the impression of a maze rather than a storage centre. "I wasn't possessed," she answered simply, shaking her head at the memory of the feeling. "It felt awful, horrible, like I was falling apart at the seams but... I wasn't taken. Mako, whatever it felt like to you, I'm so sorry."
Asami studied Mako. He looked back to his old self, the sinister glint in his eye gone. But although he put up a concentrated front, his eyes betrayed him. He was shaken up, badly. Whatever the demon had done to him, to Korra and Bolin, had clearly terrified him. Asami silently prayed that she wouldn't have to go through that experience.
"It's okay Korra," Mako breathed, struggling to regain his shattered composure. "Just... We have to find Bolin. That's all that matters. Every minute he spends with that monster..."
He didn't have to finish the sentence. Whatever Korra and Mako had felt, Bolin was feeling right now. There would be time later to reflect. Right now they had to act.
"You hurt my shallow feelings Mako," the black voice boomed, the interior of the warehouse stifled by the sound. "And I thought we got to know each other so well."
Both Asami and Korra waited for Mako to retort. But to their surprise there was none. The firebender alongside them looked like he wanted to bolt. Only the fate of his brother kept him from turning tail.
Instead, Mako took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. "What's the plan, Korra?" he said, choosing to ignore the spirit and instead focus on saving his brother.
Korra studied the building before her. This was a storage facility, made for keeping heavy machinery. Several different linear aisles lay ahead of her, each one intersecting with the other. With the accompanying darkness and the fact that the metal shelves were filled with all kinds of heavy machinery, it was a perfect place for an ambush.
"Stick together and find Bolin," Korra ordered. "And if you see him, get behind me. He can't possess me, and he knows that. But he can take control of you. No splitting up if we can help it. He'll just pick us off one by one."
With that, the trio advanced down the centre of the building, the floorboards beneath them creaking under their weight as they slowly passed. All that could be heard were their near silent breaths and the odd rustle as the possessed Bolin made his way around them. Try as they might, they couldn't pinpoint the location of the sound. It was like he was everywhere at once.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps to the left. A figure ran down the corridor, cloaked in darkness. They were about to give chase when they heard a loud banging behind them, only to be met with eerie silence when they turned around. The darkness felt physical around them, as if when they stared into it, something was staring back. And then, it spoke.
"Poor, poor Bolin," the voice mocked. "Lost, all alone in the dark. But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you Mako?"
"Leave him alone!" Korra defended him. "You talk a big game, but you're the one hiding."
"Am I?" it asked, and then a figure wrapped in shadow stepped out, like the thread of his clothes and the skin of his flesh was knitted out from the void. "Mako wanted to find me. He should have been more careful with what he wished for."
Immediately the group whirled around to the grating whisper behind them. And there the demon stood, in all his phantom glory.
A ceremonial cloak with strange symbols covered him, his hood drawn back to reveal a pale white face with dark brown hair. He was not what Korra had expected. She thought he would have been a ghost, a demon too horrible to describe. But this looked like a man. A man who wouldn't look out of place having a day out with the kids or buying food for the family. And then he spoke, and suddenly she remembered what he was.
"Who is Shin La?" he laughed, echoing the detective. "You insisted, my boy. I told you I would find you, didn't I? I warned you to run. But alas, the young never realise until it's too late."
"What have you done with Bolin?" Mako snarled, his fury overtaking his fear. As one, the group took an aggressive stance towards the phantom.
"You know what I've done," he said with depraved glee. "I've twisted his mind, flushed his secrets inside out. Just as I did to you, my boy. And just as I will do it to anyone else foolish enough to gallivant with our dashing heroine here."
"Why are you doing this?" Korra asked carefully, slowly advancing down the aisle. "What have we done to deserve this?"
It seemed like he moved in a whisper. A second later and he blurred into existence behind them, floating on top the corridor. "If only you knew," he said, with an inch of pity to his voice. "Enough talk. You came here for your friend!" he shouted with a flourish. "You're going to have to play my game if you want to save him."
And with that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but not without causing the shelves from the compartments around them to fall. It came down with a crash, forcing the trio to jump in different directions to avoid it.
Asami looked around, a creeping suspicion settling itself into her gut. Shin La's plan was evident.
They were trapped in the maze of the warehouse, separated and alone.
She could vaguely hear Korra's concerned shout, but it was muffled by the swirling darkness that surrounded her. The lights stayed out. The black of the night seemed that much stronger when she knew what lurked within it.
"I'm not afraid of you," she yelled defiantly. "I'm not afraid."
"Little girl, don't lie to me," Shin La cackled around her. There was no form, no figure. Just an insidious voice creeping into her skull. "Your fear, your grief is delicious."
"Leave her alone!" she heard Mako shout. He must have been somewhere to her right. She honestly couldn't tell.
"Oh, Mako. I had so much hope for you. Now you are but just another lamb on their way to the slaughter."
"Come out and face me!" she heard, Korra's voice this time.
"And what?" Shin La asked, his tone carrying all around them. "You'll defeat me in righteous combat? You know nothing about your enemy. You stumble in the dark, flustering and panicking when there's no solution that involves hitting it, while I know all. You are safe from me, Avatar. For the moment. But they are not."
Asami slipped out of the aisle, shrouded in shadow. Shin La's presence could be felt, no matter how intangible he may have seemed. He was all encompassing, surrounding them all in his shade. It made her skin crawl.
"You've got the old man in you, Asami," the voice whispered, and even without a face Asami could imagine the sly smile he had in the night. "That selfishness, that greed. You care deeply for the Avatar now, but you didn't when you made a move on Mako, did you? And she was feared dead and all! Scandalous."
"Shut up," Asami seethed. "My father redeemed himself. My father-"
"Is dead. And so is your mother. And they both deserved to die. All those years of sheltered life, dressing up in frilly clothes while the poor orphans in the streets starved. An apt punishment for their sins."
Off to the right, she heard a crash. It made her jump. But then all was still and silent, and she continued down the shady path.
"My father let his grief overwhelm him," Asami shook her head. "I will not share the same fate."
"You will, Ms. Sato," Shin La laughed. "You will soon see how familiar you both are before the end."
Another crash, and this time she could see light ahead.
Two figures could be seen in the short distance, one slumped on the ground beside the other. Short, sharp cries could be heard. She ran towards the telltale bodies of Mako and Bolin.
The earthbender's eyes were closed, and even unconscious he looked drained. Mako had nestled his head into the nook of his shoulder. His eyes lit up as he saw Asami approach.
"Oh, spirits!" he gasped, thankful for her arrival. "Please, help me!"
In the days to come Asami would see her next action as a foolish one. Chalk it down to short sighted hope or a weak heart. Whatever the case she rushed to aid them.
And as she knelt down, Mako slammed his elbow right into Asami's bruised ribs.
Even as she fell, Asami had the state of mind to roll away from her attacker. She wheezed with the strain, struggling to fight as the firebender picked her up effortlessly off the ground, before slamming her into the shelf beside them, two hands at her throat.
"Such a pretty face," Shin La mused, the white smile a paradox to the black eyes staring her down. "I can see why you garner all this attention."
Asami tried to cry out for Korra, but the pressure on her neck kept her from making a sound. In one last desperate attempt she brought her electronic glove to bear at Mako's side.
He nonchalantly caught her wrist and twisted it, possibly breaking it. Asami stared at him helplessly. She was injured, outmatched and out of moves. And then all she saw was a dark spirit plunging down her throat.
And then, she saw nothing.
Korra had heard the commotion. She leaped over the shelves and blasted her way through the compartment. She heard sobbing, deep, raw crying from the depths of one's soul. She had a heard a struggle. She prayed it wasn't too late.
She rounded the corner to see Asami, her form knelt over and her head over her eyes, the source of the tears revealed. The Avatar rushed to her side.
"I failed," Asami sobbed as Korra put her hand on her shoulder. "I failed. He took Bolin, he took Mako and... And I couldn't stop him!"
"It's not your fault," She soothed her friend. "We'll get them back."
"Yes," Asami sniffled, as she laid her hand on Korra's. "We'll see them soon."
And then a thousand volts erupted from the gauntlet, stunning the Avatar who never saw the attack coming. Shin La leapt onto the advantage, pressing it into her skull, frying her consciousness.
Korra fought the twitching feeling, like her mind was being cooked. She'd already stopped one invasion into her mind tonight. She... she couldn't! She... she... she could... she couldn't...
And after the shock had ran through her system, and her brain gave up on consciousness, the young Avatar slumped to the ground. And Shin La stood triumphant, the dark smile right at home in the twilight.
A thought suddenly struck him, and his phantom mind worked through the idea, turning it over and over in his head. And he laughed. The Avatar thought she knew torment. She was wrong. He would show her what it was like to suffer.
Shin La grabbed Korra's body and began to carry it to where Bolin and Mako's sleep filled forms still laid. He couldn't wait for her to wake up.
The ground was hard, Korra realised. The headache dulled and throbbed in her head. She tried to move but found she couldn't, something restricting her arms and legs. She shook off the residual effects of her slumber and looked up.
What greeted her chilled her to the bone.
Both Mako and Asami were knelt before her, similarly tied up as she was. A gag had been shoved in their mouths, prohibiting their speech. They didn't need to talk however. No matter how much they tried to hide it, their eyes betrayed them. Their fear was clear to see. A familiar figure stood behind them, raising his head as she woke.
"Rise and shine," Bolin greeted her, but the eyes of the monster were clear to see within the earthbenders eye sockets. "I hope you didn't get too comfy. After all, you have a choice to make."
"A... a choice?" Korra asked, her vocals chords needing time to adjust. "What choice?"
"What choice?" Shin La said incredulously, before he pulled a knife from behind his back. "The choice, my dear. The one both people have been waiting for," he continued, gesturing to Asami and Mako. "Quite simple really. You can only let one into your heart. You can't have both."
"What are you talking about?" Korra said desperately, as the terrible truth began to dawn on her. "You can't be-"
"Oh, rest assured I am," Shin La replied, twirling the knife in his fingers, the blade cutting the air way too close to Asami's face. "You are going to tell me who you love, Korra. Not a decision to be taken lightly, darling. Because the unlucky one, the one you reject, well..." he said, before he pressed it to Mako's throat. "Well, you won't have to worry about them anymore."
And as the knife slipped perilously close to the firebender's neck, Korra knew she had to make a choice, a decision that she could not possibly make. A decision that no one would be satisfied with.
"By all means, take your time," Shin La smiled. "I can't wait to find out."
Oh, look. A cliffhanger.
Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed and followed and done all that stuff. You guys are awesome. Keep it up :)
Sorry about the wait. I am trying to get these done quicker. But I digress. Hope you enjoyed it.