When Semak arrived Tenzin and Pema were resting; with Rohan keeping them awake at night and Meelo's antics occupying them throughout the day. He lad left his brother Estak and sister Katya with the other hostages, who were staying the night under police supervision to avoid any further damages. The White Lotus Guards had kindly taken him from the mainland to their island and he made a point to thank each one individually, before sitting down and tucking into the meal Pema had made earlier that day. Each bite was as fresh as the next, with a variety of cuisine's from each nation.
"My brother is out with Korra so its just us for now? I'm sure Mako's mentioned me." Bolin spoke with his mouth half-full of noodles, offering some to Semak.
"Bolin, right? You're an earthbender, for the fire ferrets!" Semak stared blankly to his left wondering how he knew this. Perhaps Mako had told him.
"I dunno, I guess. I'm not sure what I am any more." He uncharacteristically lost his appetite at that moment, pressing both of his hands against his face deep in thought."
"Because Mako has joined the force?" Bolin didn't answer, he just sat in silence, stroking the furry animal which curled up to comfort him. "I'm sure you will find your way. The world has a funny way of pushing you in the right direction if you will it to."
"I see you've met Bolin," Mako entered holding Korra with two caring arms, "...And this would be Korra, my girlfriend."
Semak wasn't sure what the protocol was for meeting such a person, a person capable of so much. He throat was dry and his chest felt heavy. He smiled and waved at her trying to quickly finish the noodles in his mouth. It wasn't the meeting he had planned in his head, over and over again. Before he had a chance to speak she butted in to break the silence.
"Thank you for helping Mako earlier, I'm not sure if I could live with myself if he had come to harm." Mako placed his hand against her face but she turned away, folding her arms. Semak felt the pendant glow, like a spirit was leaving it and placing a hand on his shoulder. Whispering into his ear silently.
"Korra its okay, it wasn't your fault." He took his scarf off and wrapped it around her neck. She sobbed gently, pushing the soft, red cloth into her face.
"But it is," she spoke with a barely audible tone, "Even after everything that has happened I'm still a terrible Avatar."
"What are you talking about Korra? You beat some Amon butt!" Bolin swung his arm excitedly, with his eyes alight with victorious memories.
"I don't want to talk about it." Korra was just about to get up and leave when Semak spoke, the word's leaving him without entering his mind.
"You gave them their bending back. Glum and Tikem. Amon had taken dangerous benders' powers away, along with the innocent, but you returned it to them all. At first you returned the abilities of people that you could trust, but there were too many that had slipped through the cracks into Amon's grasps. Generally your instincts were good, you could tell the non-benders claiming they had been captured by Amon with ease. But to play God and decide who deserves – who had the spiritual innocence and integrity... This isn't your fault Korra. Glum and Tiken have been captured, and I sense there are very few of Amon's victims you haven't touched. In fact, only one." Semak shut his eyes, he felt drained physically.
Korra stood up quickly and raised her arms, with fire clearly sparking from her right hand, "How do you know so much? Are you a spy?" Mako tried to hold Korra back but she shrugged him off and continued to walk towards the corner Semak was standing in, a single tear still wandering down her slender face.
Semak slipped his hand into his shirt and produced the pendant, hardly able to tell Korra what it was in-between his gasps. He could feel himself shuddering inside as she approached him, the pendant feeling heavier and heavier.
"Its... its a pendant, it has some sort of power, I don't know what exactly."
Korra stops in her tracks and stared into the centre of the arcane object. Her anger was removed and she breathed in and out, lowering her guard. "I am sorry, Semak. We need to talk, because you are right. Everything you said is true."
"I need to go and wash Pabu." Bolin stared and the ground trying to pick up his sleeping pet before slinking out, peering over his shoulder with a nervous expression.
There was a moment of silence as Korra gave Mako back his scarf. He kissed her on the forehead before encasing her in his warm embrace. "Everything's going to be alright Korra".
"But this isn't the first time this has happened. Soon someone will die, all because of me. First those rogue earthbender's that claimed to be cops and now this." Mako pulled away, looking out towards Republic City through a window.
"We can put this right. We always do. Any ways, Semak, you said there was one person whose bending hadn't been returned. Who is it?"
"Yeah, who?"
"The last person to be returned is the first person to lose their bending. A night as cold as it was dark. Deep into the North Pole. A man thought to be lost long ago hidden in the shadows. Amon. He found a boy using his bending to kill a wolf. Amon didn't know he was doing it to feed his younger brother and sister... and his dying mother. The boy saw him without a mask, Amon approached him in good confidence and stole his bending, leaving me to die. If my brother hadn't saved me..." Semak stared into his feet, barely able to look the Avatar in the eye, "I know this has caused you much grief, but please can I have my bending back. It's been five long years. I thought it would never return, but then you have given me hope."
Korra placed her hand on Semak's arm. He raised his head, looking into her eyes and feeling reassured by her subtle smile. "Of course. But not until tomorrow, I am tired and we could all do with some rest."
Semak couldn't sleep, he just lay in bed stroking the pendant and waiting to be dragged head-first into his dreams. Would he still have the same power, or would he have to start again? Five years of feeling hopeless, feeling ordinary and silently begrudging his own family for their powers. That was part of the reason he could never be with them. Before leaving he had stayed with non-benders, teaching the children about domestic work whilst spending his nights studying different forms of bending. Lightning. Metalbending. Even bloodbending. Eventually his eyes remained shut and he drifted off.
The pendant flashed once. Semak opened his eyes, seemingly having drifted off for a matter of seconds. But something felt different. The air was thin and his arms felt light. He wandered into the corridor, looking for Mako and Bolin in the two rooms next to him. There was no one there. He ran over to the girl's side. The water surrounding the island was still, yet glowed similar to the pendant's otherworldly shimmer. Semak creaked open Korra's door and saw her lying in bed, not moving. Not breathing. Just as he was going to shake her awake he felt himself getting pushed towards her. The walls were distorted and Korra's eyes were wide open, shining with a powerful white light. He couldn't run away, the light was coming for him. Then darkness.
His mouth gaped open. He lost trust in his own eyes and, with his senses confounded, collapsed on the floor. He could no longer see Korra, he was no longer on Air Temple Island, but he knew exaclty where he was. He had read about this place many times, however, few mortals were documented as having travelled to this location. Somehow, he was in the Spirit World, and he had no idea how he was going to get out.