反射

Book 1.5: Reflections

Chapter 4: Epiphany

On Air Temple Island, there is a small plaza overlooking Yue Bay, where the towering tiers of Republic City can be seen across the azure water. Carved into the smooth stone is the symbol of Yin and Yang. Tui and La.

It was on this sunken dais that master and student faced each other.

"Are you ready?" Tenzin inquired.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Korra replied, her orange and yellow Air Acolyte robes rusting slightly in the early-morning breeze.

"Very well then. Show me what you have learned in the South Pole."

Korra took a deep breath, and then thrust both palms forward, conjuring a powerful burst of air. Tenzin stood stock still, and then thrust his left palm forward in a matching gust that countered the sudden rush of wind, his red and yellow robes whipping wildly.

Korra used the opportunity to dash in for an attack, sending out bursts of air at her opponent as she ran. He countered them all with circular turns of his arm, but his pupil quickly closed the distance between them.

Tenzin blocked sharp thrusts thrown his way with fluid movements his arms, spinning to avoid a well-aimed roundhouse kick. However, he was taken by surprise when a blast of wind emanated from the teenage girl's foot, throwing him backward through the air several feet. Before he could topple to the ground, however, he angled his hands down, palms spread wide to control the air currents below him and slow his descent.

"Very good," the airbending master said, adjusting his robes.

Korra maintained her fighting-stance, ready to resume attacking at a moment's notice.

"I am going to come at you now," Tenzin announced. "Remember: spiral movements and evasion."

With that said, he blasted gusts of air, to which the young woman conjured her own wind straight at them to lessen the impact, sending scattered leaves billowing into the sky. Despite this, her mentor's form was very powerful, and she felt her boots slipping backward on the smooth stone. Her dark-brown hair and baggy garb billowed out behind her. Just as she managed to find her footing, her opponent was on her, letting fly with a series of jabs and punches at her midsection. She managed to block the first few blows.

"Focus, Korra! Change direction!" Tenzin called over his shoulder. "Do not meet resistance with force!"

She made an effort to spin and avoid his attacks, but instinct caused her to physically block his punches more often than not. She grunted as she ducked under a sweeping arc of air that Tenzin dissipated outward from his body, and countered with a powerful wind blast of her own that took him completely by surprise. He yelped as he flew through the air, landing on his back and sliding several feet.

"Woo-hoo!" Korra pumped her fists into the air in celebration, very much like she did back when she passed her firebending test. She was brought back to the present by Tenzin's grumbling as he sat up. "Oh, sorry… Are you okay?" she asked, rushing over to help him up.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said grumpily. Korra wanted to think that his disapproving tone was just because he was a bad loser. His next words blew this notion out the window. "You flagrantly ignored my teachings."

"What do you mean?" she asked in surprise.

The tall man brushed his robes off indignantly. "I told you not to meet resistance with force! You may think that your little wind blast at the end there was powerful, but airbending manifests itself in technique, not stubbornness and brute force."

"It was powerful enough to knock you off your feet," she muttered under her breath.

Tenzin's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps backtracking a bit would be for the best. I want you to run through the basic forms and stances for the rest of the morning."

"But – "

"Do it!" he snapped, turning on his heel and marching off toward the temple.

The Water Tribe woman sighed irritably and hunkered down to go through the motions.

Later on that morning, Tenzin was suspiciously absent at breakfast. In the past, he would normally instruct Korra on forms and lessons before he left for work at City Hall. She left the dining hall and found him down at the island dock, preparing to embark on the ferry that would take him across Yue Bay.

"Tenzin, wait!"

He turned and scowled slightly. "I thought I told you to go through the basic forms again."

"I did, and I plan to do it again. It's just…" She paused for a moment, and then met his gaze. "I… I'm sorry about before. And I just want to say how much I appreciate you teaching me again," she said genuinely. "I've trained for hours and hours down at the South Pole, but it wasn't really working."

Tenzin's expression softened. "I should apologise too. I lost my patience with you again. There's just something about you that's so… so…"

"Annoying?" she offered.

"I was going to say stubborn," he offered with a light smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But I can already see how much you have improved. I can tell you are going to be a great airbender."

Korra returned his smile. "Thanks, Tenzin."

He nodded and stepped onto the ferry, the wooden ship swaying slightly under his added weight. "You are to practice your forms until this afternoon. And then you can have the rest of the day off."

She was surprised at that – her strict and uptight airbending teacher giving her time off?

"Use that time however you wish. Perhaps you might want to go and visit your friends in the city?" the monk continued shrewdly. "Don't worry, what the White Lotus doesn't know won't hurt them."

She grinned. "Thanks, Tenzin. You're the best."

The large central green dome of City Hall and its four ornate corner spires shone in the sunlight. A small contingent of police officers guarded the various entrances into the building – a supposed temporary measure while Republic City was in the midst of civil turmoil. The more disgruntled citizens did not fail to point out the ever-present battle cruisers of the United Forces docked in Yue Bay, or the fact that there were twice as many police airships in the sky as usual. Some were calling the so-called 'emergency powers' of the government nothing more than a blatant violation of civil rights.

Tension was heavy in the air of the conference chamber in City Hall, where the Provisional Government was in closed session. Aside from Tenzin, acting on behalf of the Air Nomads, and Oma, acting on behalf of the Earth Kingdom, no other members of the former United Republic Council were present. Tarrlok had disappeared along with Amon, and the Fire Nation and Southern Water Tribe representatives had taken indefinite leaves of absence, fearing for their safety.

The Fire Nation, Northern and Southern Water Tribes had not yet elected replacements. As such, the seats had been hastily filled with non-benders, elected from three key districts of the city, in an effort to appease citizens harbouring anti-bending sentiments. However, this action was often a point of strong criticism from others, who believed that there were better-qualified candidates who could do more for the city than "bow to the demands of a bunch of terrorists".

"We can't please everyone," Oma had said, when Tenzin voiced the same concerns. "But for now, taking away legitimacy from the claims of the revolutionaries is what's most important."

Saikhan, the burly and balding Chief of Police, stood before the Provisional Government as he delivered his report. "The police have managed to retake several outer boroughs that remained under Equalist control. We successfully raided a number of chi-blocker training camps, hidden in cellars and basements, and seized electrified gloves and explosives."

"This is good news," Daio said, returning his copy of the written report to a pile of stacked papers on the table before him. He was a middle-aged man with long brown hair, done up in a single fat braid down his back.

"We also conducted a raid on the headquarters of the Red Monsoon triad last night, although the place had already been cleared out. They knew we were coming. We have intel that they have moved their headquarters to the Water Town slums, but nothing has been confirmed yet."

"We simply must do something about those blasted triads. They're taking advantage of the chaos in the city."

"My officers are spread too thin," Saikhan said, his voice echoing slightly throughout the vast room off its high vaulted ceiling, columns and void balconies. "If I may, I suggest that the Provisional Government reinstates Tarrlok's curfew for all non-benders to be in their own homes by nightfall."

The expressions of Daio and the other two non-bending ministers immediately darkened.

"That is an unacceptable course of action," Tenzin said immediately.

"I fail to see why," Saikhan replied. "The curfew was highly effective for quelling the Equalist insurgency. Putting it back into effect will greatly reduce their mobility, and allow the police to combat both them and the triads more effectively."

"Have you forgotten about the riot which happened in the Dragon Flats borough? Had it not been for Avatar Korra's intervention, hundreds of innocent bystanders, who had nothing at all to do with the Equalists, would have been arrested."

"A regrettable incident, but one which was necessary for preventing the violence from escalating."

Minister Oma spoke up. "Chief Saikhan, you were granted personal command of Tarrlok's task-force to bring down the remaining Equalist cells throughout the city. Are you telling us that you have thus far been unsuccessful?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," the burly man shot back.

"Going by your logic, we should also impose curfews on benders to crack down on the bending triads," Daio said darkly.

"That was actually my next point," the Chief of Police replied as he drew another sheet of paper from his file. "This report details known areas of triad activity, and they are on the rise. My recommendation is for you to consider putting curfews into effect in these areas."

"Chief Saikhan, let me make something perfectly clear," Tenzin said, his voice even. "You turn this city into a private police state over my dead body."

Later on that afternoon, Korra stepped onto the ferry at the docks of Air Temple Island, dressed in a tan trench-coat. Her easily-distinguishable hairstyle was hidden beneath a curled-brimmed hat with a leaf imprint on its front rim. It was, in fact, the same disguise she had worn when she and Mako had infiltrated that Equalist rally, all those months ago, to rescue Bolin after he had been kidnapped.

The same rally where she had first come face-to-face with Amon, and learned of his terrifying ability to take a person's bending away – permanently.

Ever since that terrible technique had been used on her, she no longer saw herself as the Avatar. And the last thing she needed right now was for someone to recognise her, and expect her to perform the same miracles that the Order of the White Lotus had been expecting her entire life. She had to at least master airbending before she was ready to help anyone.

To this end, she was disguised, and pulled a dark red scarf she had borrowed from Jinora over her face.

As the ferry crossed the bay, Korra took in the white pinnacles of the city's skyscrapers across the water. The golden profile of the Pro-Bending Arena, reflected in the water, caught her gaze, and she smiled as she remembered competing in her first pro-bending match. She would love to join the Fire Ferrets and play again, but could not see the league allowing an airbender to compete.

And that's all I have now…

Oh, I have got to stop throwing a pity party for myself! Airbending is a noble art, and I'm lucky to still have it.

But I could do so much more for the city if I had control of the other elements.

I can still do great things. Like Katara said, Aang could only airbend for a long time, and yet he saved so many people. Bending should not define who I am.

But all those years of training in the compound, all those years of being fed expectations and dreams of greatness by the Order of the White Lotus… I can't help it…

Korra turned her head to gaze at Aang Memorial Island in silent reflection.

Forget the White Lotus. Forget expectations and destiny and all that other garbage. I'm going to do things my way, and if it means that I am the world's first non-bending Avatar… then so be it.