Despite putting on a brave face, a part of Mako seems understandably wary upon entering the glowing sphere of the portal. The first and only time he previously ventured into the spirits' realm, during Harmonic Convergence, he fought Eska, Desna, and innumerable dark spirits that had been twisted by Vaatu's influence.
Listening to Asami go on about how cute and little some spirits are thankfully seems to reassure him. The other world is no longer overrun with evil, no matter how he may still have it pictured in his head. So long as he can keep his cool, so too will the spirits.
He has seen what the alternate world looks like from the southern portal, but has never stepped foot into the one in Republic City. Korra enjoys Mako's awed expression as he swivels on a heel, taking in the sea of magenta flowers surrounding them, the sight sharply contrasting with dead trees and jagged, icy peaks beyond. "This place is ridiculous," he observes, and that is something to which neither woman joining him disagrees.
Hopefully he likes what he sees, for they will be encountering things more incredible than this before they're through.
Mako has a duffel bag at his hip with its strap slung over his shoulder in lieu of a backpack, since the latter would be too difficult to put on or take off with his sling in the way. The man prepares for traveling in a fashion similar to Asami. Both of them carry far too much crap, in Korra's opinion.
But, then again, they've also brought extra supplies for their stay in the library. Notebooks, pencils, candles. Within Asami's backpack is a thick folder of various documentation from Future Industries to give to Wan Shi Tong, as well as several rolled tubes that must be diagrams or schematics. Korra has brought her air glider in case she will need to make quick trips to retrieve water or anything else.
Even getting into the library will be a challenge in of itself, as it seems to be suspended nearly twenty stories in the air, and neither Mako nor Asami can airbend like Korra can. With his injuries, it's unlikely that Mako will have enough strength to propel himself twenty stories high with just firebending.
That reminds Korra: first things first.
"I want to try healing your burns before we go to the library," she tells him. But they don't leave immediately, as Korra tries to think of where, specifically, they should head. This world is freakishly vast with a variety of terrains to be found within less than a day's walk, so their travel choices are anything but limited. "We need spirit water. I'm just not sure where would be the best place to go..."
"What about that first lake we found?" Asami suggests. "It was big."
"Eh. There were a bunch of dead plants nearby."
Mako shakes his head. "Not that one."
"The rocky stream?"
"Preferably not." Korra pouts and nudges a few flowers with her foot, remembering the places she and Asami have visited within the past two weeks. Many areas were nice while others were far less inviting. Some spirits, like Wan Shi Tong, do not appreciate humans disturbing their homes, and adding Mako to the equation may only make their reactions worse. "That stream's local bear spirit didn't like me very much. And I live with a bear... dog."
After considering their options for another moment, Asami tries again. "What about that weird, bluish pond? Plenty of life surrounded it."
Korra easily recalls the bright, aquamarine-colored pool of glowing liquid they previously stumbled across, no more than four feet wide, perfectly rounded and shallow. It'd been an odd sight for sure, doubly so because it had clashed with the multicolored grasses at their feet. They hadn't touched it, though the monkey-like spirits nearby did not go out of their way to avoid it. "I thought we agreed it is a spirit, Asami. There's no way normal water could be that color."
"Exactly. You need spirit-infused water. Where better to get that from, than from a water spirit?"
"... I didn't think about it like that. Good idea."
Mako shifts his weight from one leg to the other, appearing a bit lost. "You want to heal me with a spirit?"
"More bizarre things have happened in this world." Korra smirks at him before clasping Asami's hand in her own. With her opposite hand holding the glider as a staff, she offers that forearm to Mako. "Grab on. If you get nauseous easily, you might want to close your eyes, too. The Avatar travels in style."
Cautious once more, Mako sets his hand lightly on Korra's bare arm.
The best thing about traveling in the spirit world is Korra's ability to essentially shift the world around her to her whim, as long as she has a vague destination in mind. Without anyone taking a step, the breeze picks up and the ground begins to move on their every side.
Asami laughs as Mako yelps, now clinging firmly to Korra's arm. Korra keeps the path to their target at the forefront of her mind—across a muddy creek, between mossy crags, avoiding a particularly dark cave. The wandering route Korra and Asami had taken when they originally found the pool skirted along the edge of a line of trees. She knows they've arrived at the right place when new types of grass appear at their feet, blends of fuchsia and cobalt and the brightest yellow she thinks she's ever seen coloring the lush blades.
Mako utters his surprise once they stop. The flora here is spectacularly jarring, a great garden with every plant appearing more outlandish than the last.
Asami pulls free from Korra and jogs to one of her favorite bushes located close by. The leaves adorning it are richly colored gold and umber, and its flowers have curly petals in a translucent, creamy hue. It smells of something sweet, faintly of honey, perhaps, and that is why Asami favors it. "Hello again," she greets, and the bush rattles cheerfully in reply.
"Is everything alive here?" Mako asks. His grip on Korra releases as an afterthought.
"No," Korra answers, "but never assume something isn't alive." She learned that the hard way after verbally insulting a particularly ugly tree. It swatted her bottom in retaliation as she passed by.
Korra leads Mako forward to the pool of unnaturally blue water, though it's more of a puddle, really. She has never approached it before, so it's unclear whether the water will be sentient, let alone friendly. Even if it is a hostile spirit, the water is too shallow to drown any man. Hopefully.
"Hello," Korra says before kneeling near the edge of its hole and laying her glider beside her. Speaking to liquid feels a bit silly, but Asami just said hello to a plant, so Korra isn't the only one potentially looking foolish. "I'm Korra, the Avatar. How are you doing today?"
In response, the water ripples.
It is a spirit.
Mako calls Korra's name. When she glances back at him, standing just behind her, she realizes his attention is drawn toward the trees where the monkey spirits reside. They watch intently with red eyes from the shadows, some dangling from branches with their one or two or five tails.
"Don't be nervous," she tells Mako, waving him forward, "you'll only make them nervous. That's how this world works, you know. Ignore them and sit here next to me."
He kneels beside her and sets his duffel bag to the side. "Right. I suppose I should just follow your lead, Korra, since you seem to know what you're doing here."
"Mm... Nope. Not really."
Just like her friends, Korra knows extremely little about this place. She knows that spirits respond to and reciprocate foul emotions. She knows that she can move the earth around herself, through the power of willpower, perhaps, and not bending—or maybe she's moving herself across the earth—but she isn't certain why or how she has this ability. Asami tried and couldn't do it.
There is so much more that Korra, as the Avatar, could stand to learn about this mysterious world. So much humanity could learn about this world. It pleases her to know that because the portals are now open, they can.
Korra also doesn't know if this water spirit is made of the water itself, or if it is only an entity residing in it. She reaches out to hold one hand over it, testing. She is only guessing that the spirit might respond.
It does. The water swirls in a counterclockwise motion, creating a vortex on its surface before a thin tendril rises up from the center, appearing to be bent by an invisible force. The water touches her palm before twining around her wrist in a gentle manner.
Its glowing hue looks similar to that of chi-infused water, as if someone were healing with it, only a tad bit more vivid than the sky above. It's a comforting color that reminds Korra of the light spirit inside of herself.
"It's nice to meet you, spirit," Korra says politely. She doubts a human has ever met this particular puddle before, and it is unlikely someone will interact ever with it again, but she wants to leave a good impression regardless. "Do you think you could help me with something? My friend, Mako, was hurt recently. I need spirit water to be able to heal him. Can I use some of yours if I promise to return it?"
The water around her wrist squeezes and releases, as if in agreement. It unwinds from Korra before falling down to return to the rest of itself.
That's as good a sign as any. Korra turns toward Mako and assists with removing the sling and dressings from his arm.
The burns look even worse in the natural light of day. When Asami finally joins them, she does not speak, but Korra notices a grimace as she kneels on the other side of Mako. Although she's a fighter as much as the rest of them, Asami has not often been exposed to such gruesome injuries of war.
Mako sits down completely as Korra makes sure his left sleeve is rolled up enough to expose all of the damaged skin. His gaze doesn't stay on her face, today – it calmly drifts from her hands as they touch him, down to his own right hand buried in a patch of grass, then to the trees where shy spirits peer back from afar. His and Asami's eyes meet, and the quick, reassuring smile she gives him is enough to make him sigh.
Once Mako is ready, the three of them watch the water spirit begin to move again.
A thicker mass of the liquid finds the outstretched fingers of Mako's damaged arm. It follows the shape of him and flattens itself across his skin. The water seems to find every spot that is hurt, meaning it is quite the conscious puddle if it is aware enough to sense such things. Korra holds her palms just above the layer of water covering his arm, takes a deep breath, and heals.
It goes just as well as one might expect, at first, until Korra pushes the water deeper beneath his skin. Mako's legs draw inward as he tenses, his body and face tightening as he tries to deal with the sudden influx of pain.
This unique water seems to amplify Korra's own senses, as she can feel exactly where the muscles are damaged, down to each and every fiber. She's never been this adept as a healer.
As the water attempts to repair him, Mako clenches his jaw to keep from vocalizing his opinion on the matter. The sound that manages to escape from his closed mouth is dampened but gives a glimpse of what agony this must be causing him. Korra's initial reaction is to stop – something is going wrong, this spirit is evil, it's hurting him – but then she can feel his arm change. The flesh moves on a molecular level, patching itself back together, the inflammation lessening, tissue growing anew.
It's definitely healing—rapidly—but it is not painless. Not at this speed.
The grass beneath his right hand begins to smoke. Sensing a change in him, as well, the monkey spirits hoot and scatter in fear.
Asami grabs Mako's shoulders from behind, half-supporting and half-holding him in place as Korra continues. Eventually Asami's arms have to wrap around him to stifle his squirming. Her voice is a soft murmur of reassurance even as expletives begin falling from his lips. Korra keeps her concentration on the task of healing him, but she can't help but notice his hisses, the way his head rolls back and presses unrestrained against Asami. The woman holds both arms tight around his neck and chest, cradling him against her as his body spasms in response to whatever he must be experiencing.
He's strong, enduring this. He's always been strong, and Korra isn't surprised when he doesn't tell her to stop. She doesn't want to put him through this, but it was an unspoken agreement that healing his arm through waterbending was their best option. And since regular water scarcely helped, spirit water is their only hope for a miraculous recovery.
The only blessed part about this is that it goes rather quickly. Two excruciating minutes pass before Korra is finished and nothing more can be done. It's healed as much as it ever will be.
Korra falls flat on her bottom, exhausted, and the water returns to its puddle. Having the near unlimited power of spirit water – or, rather, a water spirit – in her hands is amazing yet entirely frightening. It is like the vines' explosive energy but in liquid form, and it makes her wonder what else this water may be capable of.
"You're okay now," Asami soothes, petting his hair as Mako breathes, labored, with eyes squeezed shut. Asami's concern is evident, as if she hadn't expected healing to be quite so painful. Not to this extent. And to be honest, Korra hadn't, either.
But Korra has rearranged and rebuilt part of an entire arm, including nerves. Of course it would hurt. Two minutes of pain seems like a better alternative than months or years of slow-going recovery. Or that is what she tells herself as Mako sits half-curled into a ball, trying to slow his rapid breaths.
"It's over," Asami continues telling Mako. She pats his cheek a bit, urging him to focus on the here and now. His eyes open, and his head rolls upward so he may see her face. "You did well. Look at your arm now, Mako. Look."
"I hate this vacation already," is how Mako responds.
But he listens, and he looks.
The arm appears mostly healed. The skin is no longer angrily red, although it does seem to be scarred a slightly different color than the rest of his normal skin tone. It isn't inflamed, isn't cracked or flaking anymore. When Mako curls that hand into a fist, the action seems easy. Painless. Possible.
"It's healed," Mako murmurs with disbelief. He suddenly pulls away from Asami, staggering up onto his feet as if the pain has already been forgotten. "It's— It's—"
"It's scarred," Korra says. The arm isn't perfect. It's still ugly. But the way Mako continually flexes it, rolling his wrist and testing the movement of each finger, proves it is far better than it was. The scarring is milder than Korra expected it to be.
"It's healed," Mako repeats. "I can move it, and it doesn't hurt at all." After clenching his fist again with a satisfactory result, a relieved, joyous smile spreads across his face. "You healed me, Korra. And you too... Puddle. Sir. Thank you both. Thank you."
He continues to fawn over it. Korra rolls her eyes, wiping her now-sweaty palms on her pants legs. "Were you expecting to lose the arm or something, tough guy?"
"Well, no... Maybe? For a minute there, it felt like you were ripping it off. Like every pore was burning again, individually and simultaneously, if that makes sense."
Korra frowns. She knew it would likely hurt him. They should have gotten something to relieve the pain, or sedate him, in preparation. Though she knows he isn't the type to imbibe, perhaps some well-deserved alcohol could have taken the edge off. She knows more than one person has gifted him a bottle for saving their city. "I'm sorry I hurt you so much," she apologizes. "I should've planned more. I should've considered your well-being ahead of time."
"No, no, it's okay. My arm is back to normal, so I'd say I'm feeling pretty well now." Mako punches the air with that arm as if to show how much better it feels. He hesitates, looking confused, before doing the action again. Then he punches with his right arm and a ball of fire spurts forth. "Um, Korra? Something isn't right."
Korra sits him down again to inspect his left arm. When she runs her fingers over the new skin, she can feel that it is thicker than it should be, not quite smooth in some places while too smooth in others, but it is such a great improvement that she has a hard time believing it herself. Korra tries to feel beyond the physicality of him, using waterbending to sense where his chi paths run. She compares the energy flow of his right arm to his left.
"You can't firebend with this arm because your chi paths were damaged," Korra tells him, running her fingers down the invisible path they make through his scarred forearm. "At your elbow, here, it feels as if the paths have been bled dry."
Her friends don't seem to understand. Asami is not familiar with the spiritual or technical aspects of bending, and while Mako is a firebender, he had never received a proper education in the art. The Avatar, having been tutored by masters for her entire life, knows more about these mechanics than most benders do.
"Imagine they are invisible veins that run a circuit through your subtle body," she explains. "The subtle body is more like your spiritual form, your mind and energy – not made of flesh. Like veins that carry blood: without those paths functioning properly, you'd lose the physical arm. If chi paths do not complete their circuit, then no chi will reach the end of your arm, and you can't bend with it."
"Like the spiritual part of the arm is dead," Asami paraphrases.
"Kind of. It is more like a stream than has run dry due to being blocked by a dam. You were burned not by just electricity, Mako, but spiritual energy, too. That impacted more than just your physical body."
Mako's right hand smooths over the skin where Korra has touched. "I see. And I don't suppose you could heal that, too? My subtle body?"
Her first thought is no. There are ways to clear blocked chi through waterbending, but that is assuming the paths themselves are undamaged. There are ways to sense and interpret another person's muddled chi through firebending, but that is something Korra has yet to learn, and she doesn't believe it could fix the broken paths, either.
But then Korra remembers she has the power of more than four elements. She'd restored bending to the many victims of Amon by manipulating energy itself. Though most of this was done on instinct, by copying Avatar Aang's actions done unto her, she still felt how to manipulate and reconnect blocked paths within someone else.
"I'll try," is all Korra can say.
Asami watches Korra work, looking thoughtful, albeit a bit out of her element here.
Korra takes Mako's arm and stretches it out again, palm facing upward. Closing her eyes, she visualizes the paths his chi should be taking. Mako braces himself for pain again as Korra begins moving her fingers over him.
But as she manipulates the chi, Mako relaxes. Korra tries to straighten one particularly gnarled inch of the path before it suddenly pops into its proper place, releasing a short burst of chi. Mako exhales a laugh.
Asami is amused by his reaction. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Mako says. "It tingles, kind of. It's just a rush of sensation, like..."
"Energy," Korra finishes. "Like bending, right?"
"Right. Without the fire. Just a surge of power... Is that what the Avatar State feels like? A surge of power?"
"Yes, in a way. All-consuming."
Korra fixes as much of the path as she can, and she's able to feel when the chi begins flowing again. The new paths in his left arm are weak and thin compared to his right, as if they are from a child unpracticed in bending, but he should be able to firebend with that arm now.
"Try again," Korra instructs, and Mako succeeds in creating a miniature, flickering flame from his left hand. "Good. It might feel weak at first, but keep training with that arm and it should eventually return to normal. Let me know if you have any issues with it."
Mako grins broadly enough to reveal teeth, and Korra can't help but think it's a pleasant look on him. If only he would smile like this more, like his little brother does, all cheeky boyish charm and happiness. "I can't thank you enough, Korra," Mako says gratefully. "You've given me more in one day than I ever could have hoped for. You're amazing, truly."
Embarrassed, Korra tries to downplay his words.
It doesn't help when Asami joins in. "Really, you are amazing, Korra. I am not going to pretend I have any idea of what you just did, but you fixed his arm and his bending. Your abilities know no bounds, do they?"
"I'm the Avatar," Korra answers, shrugging. The Avatar has always been an exception to the norm in terms of bending and spiritual abilities.
But Asami's words remind her of what Zaheer had said:
You think your power has limits. I say it's limitless.
If they are right – if the Avatar's power indeed knows no bounds – what, exactly, could 'limitless' entail? Of all the unlikely feats Korra can imagine, bringing her long-gone, disintegrated past lives back into existence is high on the list of improbabilities. And even if it were possible, how would someone with immeasurable power go about fulfilling such a task, anyway? How does one bring a spirit back into existence?
Korra still feels it's unlikely, if not impossible, for her to regain what she's lost.
But with this power, she can restore what Mako has lost.
With surprisingly little need of convincing, Mako strips himself of his jacket and undershirt, revealing his secondary burn. From the point of impact just above his belly button, discolored lines jag outward in the shape of lightning. This injury is only skin-deep, luckily, and isn't large enough to cover more than half of his abdomen.
As he lies supine, Korra and the water spirit heal him again.
The process doesn't hurt as much this time around, as this injury is relatively surface-level. Asami lets Mako squeeze her hand in his, anyway, permitting him to use her as his anchor.
Asami's eyes don't entirely remain on the injury, instead drifting over to look at the thin line of dark hair leading from his navel into his trousers. Korra bites her lip to hide a knowing smirk as she heals with palms spread over his abdomen. Spreading water over his skin, then down and in — Mako's muscles clench, and he exhales loudly instead of cursing this time.
When Korra is finished, the man lying on the ground keeps a stupid smile on his face, his good hand familiarizing itself with the restored skin over his stomach. Healing with this water has worked wonders yet again. Korra double checks that these chi paths are functional, too, then sits back to admire her handiwork.
As the water spirit slips back into its pool, Korra thanks it for its assistance.
A tiny puffball of a spirit appears seemingly from out of nowhere, resting its little bird feet on Mako's forehead. When he greets it, having been only mildly startled by its appearance, the spirit chirrups happily and pokes his nose with its beak. Mako lifts his fingers to his face to offer the spirit a more suitable place to perch.
"It's attracted to your emotions," Korra notices, smiling as the puffball bounces itself across his hand. Mako turns his palm toward the sky and the spirit maintains its balance as it hops along his forearm. "Are you happy, Mako?"
"Things are looking up," he replies. A monkey spirit finds its way over to Mako as well, tentative at first, and then curious. Despite looking rather spooky, the spirit is friendly, sitting on Mako's shin and curling several tails around his shoe. "I take back what I said, Korra. This place isn't so bad."
When Wan Shi Tong meets the trio on the forest floor outside of his library, Mako stands with new-found confidence, both hands tucked into his pants pockets, his sling no longer necessary and stored away inside his bag. The owl gives him the most perfunctory of once-overs, hardly acknowledging the addition to their party before his attention is diverted by the rustling of papers.
Asami reveals what she's brought for him: all the information he could ever want regarding biplanes, satomobiles, combustion engines and more. She shows him the folder containing pages upon pages of text and diagrams of the many inventions Future Industries has created over the years.
Though Wan Shi Tong scoops up her generous offerings with little more than an appreciative nod to Asami, Korra believes he must be overjoyed. They've brought more than enough for entry, it seems, as the owl gestures his welcome with a wide sweep of one wing.
"I must ask that any firebenders refrain from creating campfires while inside," Wan Shi Tong warns, eying Korra and Mako equally. "And mind the spines; many tomes you may find within are considered invaluable antiques. I would also appreciate diligence when handling any bottles of ink, and clean fingertips when examining scrolls. Few humans handle others' property with care."
"Of course. We will be very mindful," Asami assures, looking at the building above them. "Thank you. I do wish your library were a bit more accessible, though... I'm not sure how we'll get inside."
The library appears to hang upside-down from a series of vines woven through the trees, but Korra isn't sure how that could hold such a heavy structure without letting it fall. It seems as if the building is enchanted and held up by more than mere vines. To enter, Korra could use her air glider to lift one person up at a time, but that seems somewhat impractical.
Without moving his body, Wan Shi Tong rotates his head until he can see behind himself, peering up as well. "I was under the impression that mankind could fly with your company's wondrous inventions, Miss Sato."
"I didn't bring a plane with me, unfortunately." After a brief delay, Asami adds, "My biplanes are outfitted with weapons, and less wise spirits may accidentally hurt themselves if they play with one. I did not bring anything dangerous to this world for their sake."
Asami is bold-faced lying. They hadn't any intention of bringing a plane. The very thought of it seems preposterous. Mako and Korra glance at one another skeptically, but Wan Shi Tong seems to believe her.
Asami is playing him, manipulating him, to hold her in his favor. And it is working.
This woman – despite being one of the most kindhearted people Korra has ever met – is a force to be reckoned with in more than just combat. Wit is the sharpest weapon in her armory. Korra and Mako are nowhere near as eloquent as Asami, and neither would have the skill or audacity to so brazenly lie to a great spirit three times their height.
Asami is the only one with a plan here, and it is an ingenious one.
"That seems sensible," the owl says, his head turning back to face her. "Understood. I will lower the library for you."
Wan Shi Tong spreads his wings wide, clutching the earth in his talons for stability before he begins to flap strongly. The gusts he creates push against Asami until she's stumbling backward. Korra brings her girlfriend closer, trying to shield her from the sudden dust in the air.
Before they can even comprehend what is happening, a sharp crack sounds from above them.
Several more cracks follow. Korra narrows her eyes to see what is happening. Vines snap, one after another, and the library jolts downward.
Wan Shi Tong is bringing it down.
The three humans scramble away from the open clearing and further into the forest. Korra keeps Mako and Asami behind her as she turns to face the library again, prepared to earthbend its stone exterior if she must. As it falls, she expects the building to plummet into the ground, to crash with a mighty explosion of debris. Korra can bend the air, make a sphere, to protect them—
But she doesn't need to, since it doesn't crash. As the library reaches their level, it slows, and the towers of the building sink seamlessly into the ground as if magically displacing the earth below. With each movement of Wan Shi Tong's wings, the library sinks lower until the main rooftop of the upside-down building has settled snugly against the dirt.
None of the library has been damaged. It is as if the earth beneath the towers has disappeared upon impact, leaving the library partially buried neatly underground.
After Wan Shi Tong's flapping stops, all three have a hard time concealing their shock. The owl tucks his wings back against his sides. "This should make it easier for you to get inside," he states, composed as ever. "Fair warning: the gravitational effects within remain reversed, and will pull you skyward toward the original foundation of the building. I haven't the desire to properly orient the library at the moment."
At a loss for words, Korra nods shakily at the information he's shared. A reversal of gravity within a specific building...? This world becomes more and more unbelievable as time passes.
When Mako begins brushing off his clothes, Korra airbends everyone clear of dust.
Asami bows her thanks to Wan Shi Tong. "I appreciate that very much. How, may I ask, are you able to move the library around so easily?"
"I am its keeper, and shall bring it where it is needed," the spirit declares with an air of arrogance. "When a great flood occurred, I relocated the library to the Si Wong desert. When humans took advantage of my generosity, I sank it into the sand. Seventy-four years ago, when Avatar Aang and his friends continued to misuse my knowledge for violence, I brought this library to the spirit world with the hope that you humans might never bother me again. Many, many times have we moved." The knowledge spirit lowers his head slightly to look at Asami and friends more closely. "Meditating men still came to my library in spirit, pleading for entry. And now that the portals are open, I can expect more human visitors in corporeal form. Dealing with your kind is clearly unavoidable."
Humans visited the library while meditating? It doesn't seem so farfetched when Korra thinks about it, though. From the airbenders, to the Fire Sages, to the White Lotus elders and beyond, she knows many people who would spend a lifetime meditating. Enlightened individuals might be able to bring themselves into the spirit world. For the bookish type, this library seems like the ultimate place to visit. Even Zaheer said he now spends most of his time meditating in the spirit world.
Korra finds the courage to step around the owl and approach the building. As she does so, the others follow her lead.
She reaches a hand out to touch the library's smooth exterior.
"That doesn't quite answer what she asked," Mako says, and Korra's fingers stop just inches away from the tan stone. It almost sounds as if Mako is accusing Wan Shi Tong of dodging Asami's question. "You moved the library from the human world to this world. Does that mean our realms are physically connected? Does our desert connect to your sky?"
Wan Shi Tong isn't insulted by Mako's insinuation, but his response isn't the most amicable, either. "You humans are so obsessed with the physical. You perceive things as real or not real based only upon what you observe."
"Testing the observable is science, to us," says Asami, "and only through observation can we discern what is real and true. Is it not the same here? Are there no universal laws governing this realm?"
Wan Shi Tong sighs, exasperated, like a mother badgered with ceaseless inquiries from her children. "When you base your expectations on what you see, you blind yourself to all possibilities. To answer your original question, Miss Sato: separation of all things is an illusion. Our worlds are connected just as everything is connected. Men and spirits are bound reciprocally. To separate one from the other is impossible, no matter how much some of us may desire the distance."
The outer wall of the library is cool to the touch. As Korra's fingers slide over the cemented gaps between the bricks, she tries to make sense of what the owl has said.
If he could bring an entire building from one world to the next by merely flapping his wings and sinking it into a sea of sand, maybe things really are not what they seem. Each world is eternally bound to its brother. Korra thinks of how she healed Mako, both his body and his spirit, and how they were honestly not that different from one another. They were separate and yet one. The physical and spiritual are simply two sides of the same coin.
There is more at play in this world than Korra can even begin to comprehend. Humanity's collective knowledge of the truth does not even begin to scratch the surface, does it?
"Avatar Korra," Wan Shi Tong calls, urging her to look at him again. "As the bridge between our worlds, I suggest you research what truly ties the two together. It's apparent you still have much to learn."