/* Update: I have switched the order of the books, if you go back and look you will see that. The Prologue section is now the first part of Book 2: Spirits. Then the last Book, Clasma, was book 3. Now we continue with Book 2: Spirits. It is a nonlinear order of going through the books, BUT THE STORY IS STILL LINEAR. I am picking up where I left off, it is just that the book which defines this section will be related to the things Korra is learning about.

The way this works is that Book 2 started in the Prologue during Korra's training. She left her training to go to Republic City (Beginning the Clasma Book) and Book 2 was interrupted, but now we return to Book 2 after that book ended. So she is continuing with this book now (in terms of what she is learning, not in terms of the timeline of the story.*/

Book 2: Spirits (Cont.)

-Marooned-

Pain.

That was the only thing on Korra's mind. Every inch she moved sent pulses of it. She focused as hard as she could to move her eyes, to get an idea of where she was. She had not one.

She felt the water. It was cold. Lifeless. It scared her. It seemed infinite to her, no bottom to this mysterious sea. Lasting forever until you fell in so deep you wouldn't know which way was up. Which way was down. Disoriented to the point where you just wish you were dead. Sinking forever.

Just don't fall in, then. You have enough strength to hold on to this rock. But it hurts. I'm not even sure my fingers are straight.

They weren't. Not all of them. She had slammed into the beautiful tile floors of Graft's office about a dozen times, most of them landing in the worst of ways because of the way her body contorted from Solomon's energy beams.

Korra tried to move her left arm, but her bones weren't connected correctly anymore.

Guh, this hurts so bad.

With her upper body, Korra slithered up the rock she was planted on. She couldn't move her neck around for fear of it breaking and killing her. She didn't want to move her limbs. They didn't seem to be responding. She didn't know what was around her. She heard nothing but the gentle sound of the waters brushing up against rocks.

Where the…agh…hell did he take me? She couldn't feel the water anymore as she made her way up the rock. There were strange patterns carved into it. Glyphs. Korra didn't understand. She could barely think. The movement made her sick. She thought she was going to throw up. Her vision was failing her again.

Korra stopped and breathed heavily. Pain shot up her right arm. She tried to move it. It wasn't broken, thankfully, but it hurt. She had trouble moving it toward her face. Some damage to her nervous system she imagined from being knocked onto her back so much and bones were everywhere. But the pain was from something else. Something was lodged into her right arm. Something sharp. It glowed a strange greenish-blue…

Clasma. Oh no.

Suddenly, she felt it. The foreign substance flowing through her, unnatural to her. Korra's body tried to reject it, to push it out, but it was strong. She wasn't sure what was going to happen. Would she lose her mind? Would she become someone else?

Will this…heal me…like it did for Steel?

Korra had barely been able to move her arms a few minutes ago, but now she could. At least a little. And only the one that wasn't badly hurt. She pulled herself up the rock and got a glimpse of what was around her. It was gray and foggy. She was in the middle of a body of water as far as she could tell. There was nothing around her. She didn't understand what was supporting this rock. She tried to look downward, but she saw the bottomless sea that she had expected. A column held up the rock, and it stretched down infinitely into the abyss. It looked like part of some structure.

Jeez, Korra. What have I gotten myself into? It's so…

"Gahhh!" Korra screamed. Everything hurt.

It's so cold here. This water keeps touching my feet. It's so calm. There are no waves or anything.

Korra thought about Solomon. His demonic face, veins ready to burst out. His green eyes because of his influence of Daya. He had shiny white hair slicked back. She remembered his devious smile. No, it was evil. How could a man who spoke about "saving the human race" have such an evil smile? She knew that he truly believed what he was doing was the right thing. Then why did he look so evil doing it? Was the evil thing the right thing? Korra didn't quite know what evil was to the Spirits.

She had always thought the human race was good. But then Daya told her it was evil. At the same time, Solomon looked so evil doing Daya's will. This didn't make much sense to her.

Stop confusing yourself, Korra. Just think about what you know. What you truly know. The human race is good. Maybe I'm the only one who can see it. I can't listen to Graft. I can't listen to Solomon. I have to follow my own beliefs. Think about your parents. Think about Lin and Mako and Bolin and Tenzin. Think about your Uncle and Ahna and Akna. Think about Asami.

Asami

Asami was poisoned by the Clasma. She was back in Republic City, losing her mind, and I failed to do what I had promised her. If there is any reason to save this race, make it her. If you ever forget why you're doing this, why you're trying to save this race, whenever you're confused about what is good or evil, just think about Asami.

Korra nudged up the rock a little more. What was she going to do? Her boots were finally out of the water, at least there was that. Her hair fell in her face and got in her eyes.

Dammit. How am I going to move this? Okay, just slowly then. Korra could feel the crystal-like Clasma stones in her arm. She gently inched her arm to her face, and with a combination of blowing out of her mouth and moving her hair with her fingers, she could see over the rock. But there was nothing to see. It was a wasteland on water. Gray skies swirled around the surface. Rocks similar to the one Korra was on scattered everywhere. In the distance she saw what appeared to be a larger rock. Like a platform. What if she tried to get there? Would something be waiting for her?

Can I even swim?

She couldn't. She couldn't move beyond this point. Maybe the Clasma wasn't doing anything. Her legs didn't work right now. Maybe they were paralyzed. Or just so bent backward that she wouldn't be able to tell what she was moving. If she was in the water, she would just sink. Nothing would work the way she wanted. She would never escape from this limbo place she was in. She wouldn't even escape from this rock. Beyond it was desolation. There was nowhere to even escape to.

She would just die here. Marooned. Alone. Forgotten. Maybe she deserved this.

Maybe I'm never going to be a legend like the ones before me. Maybe I was never supposed to do anything.

The Legend of Me: The Avatar who just watched the world burn.

It was all a total waste.

"Pitying yourself again, Korra?"