the legend of khione || korra

the bridge between both worlds

KHIONE

"C'mon Khione, wake up!" Someone yelled at her, the voice muffled. Khione blinked heavily, trying to register her surroundings. Dimly, she became aware that whoever was shouting at her was half carrying, half dragging her along.

Bolin. Mako.

Clarity slammed into her, like she had sucked in a huge breath of fresh air. Her entire body ached, the side of her head a dull throb. Her fingers trembled violently as she pressed them to the side of her head.

It came away red and wet. Blood.

"I'm bleeding," Khione muttered, having regained enough sense to try to walk.

"Stop!"

Blocks of ice froze around them, causing Khione to grit her teeth as another wave of pain and nausea hit.

She managed to lift her head, ignoring the blood tracing lines down the side of her cheek, her eyes widening in fear at Korra's battered form.

"Korra," The cry died in her throat, her voice hoarse. Korra couldn't afford the distraction.

Then Vaatu swept in front of Unalaq, waiting. Korra staggered up, throwing a weak blast of fire, yelling from the effort. Unalaq easily extinguished it, before he tilted his head up. Vaatu entered him, a brilliant white light exploding around him, before it faded.

Unalaq staggered up, the intricate red designs of Vaatu briefly glowing on his body before he turned around, lying his palm on the spirit portal.

The connected portals crackled with electricity, as Unalaq's entire body was covered in some purple substance. He yelled, his head thrashing as light escaped his mouth and eyes, his entire body turning molten red.

A huge explosion of light consumed the world, before fading back. Unalaq stood tall, purple mist curling around him, his eyes glowing red.

"We are now one. Now a new era for spirits and humans will begin. And I will lead them all as the new Avatar," Unalaq announced, his voice amplified.

"Well, I'm the old Avatar, and my era's not over yet," Korra retorted, her face set in grim determination. They flung themselves towards each other, golden light radiating from their bodies, before they flew towards the Southern portal, encompassed respectively in tornados of air and water.

"Please, let us out," Mako begged, as Eska and Desna walked up to them.

"His grovelling is pathetic," Desna said, contemptful.

"But I do enjoy the sweet scent of desperation."

"C'mon. Your dad has become an evil monster. He's trying to bring on eternal darkness. Why would you protect someone who doesn't care about you at all!" Mako argued.

Desna paused, thinking.

"Father was going to let me expire when we tried to open the Northern portal. Perhaps we should rethink our position," he mused.

"Yes!" Mako urged him on.

"No. Don't listen to him. His words are poisoning your mind," Eska said coldly.

Bolin burst into tears, wailing and crying.

"What's with this outburst of emotion?" Eska asked. Khione blinked hard, incredibly confused and unsure if she was dreaming.

"I'm sorry- I can't help it- It's just so sad, that I'll never get to be with you again," He wept.

"What?" Eska raised an eyebrow, sounding genuinely confused. "Explain yourself further."

"Eska, I've always loved you." Khione raised her eyebrows, causing another wave of pain in the side of her head.

"And I've always wanted to be with you, but now that the world is ending, I'm never gonna get that chance," Bolin sobbed. 

"Are you kidding me?" Khione muttered under her breath.

"We could've been together, but you left me at the altar," Eska walked to stand in front of Bolin.

"No! I was scared. I was scared of my true feelings for you. Ugh- I should have never left you. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry that we'll never have a chance to rekindle the dying embers that was our love into a big fire of love flames," Bolin burst into another round of hysterics, causing Mako and Desna to glance at each other in utter disbelief.

Eska paused, before her gaze softened - by the smallest amount, and she gently pressed Bolin into a kiss.

The ice melted from them, Mako catching Khione as she stumbled.

"You'll never defeat our father, but should you survive, we can spend eternal darkness together," Eska placed her hands on Bolin's chest as Khione streamed a bubble of water to her head wound.

It lit up, casting a soft glow on her face as she quickly tried to heal herself - at least to the best of her abilities - as they ran for the portal.

"Wow, that was the best acting I've ever seen! You completely fooled her!" Mako crowed, grinning.

"Yeah right, that-that was acting..." Bolin trailed off sadly.

They emerged from the portal to see Korra still battling Unalaq atop her column of air, sending bursts of fire and stone at him.

Unalaq reached out, streaming water at Korra in an attempt to ensnare her. She controlled it, pulling it around her and freezing the end of it connected to Unalaq, before slamming into the ground.

The water pulled them both closer, until they were standing mere metres away. Korra clenched her jaw, her eyes glowing. The ground beneath them cracked from the weight of their power, before Unalaq grinned. Dark tentacles, wrapped in purple mist - Vaatu - emerged from Unalaq's mouth, drawing golden light from Korra, who collapsed.

Raava, in her brilliance, trapped by darkness.

"Korra!" Khione cried, fear flooding her veins.

"He's got the light spirit!" Bolin yelled.

Determination and rage and fear hammered in Khione, as Korra lay in the snow. They all began to attack Vaatu, their attacks rendered useless as he grinned, sending huge, jagged spikes of ice from the ground.

Khione slid out of the way on a ramp of ice, glancing back quickly to see Bolin and Mako, sprawled in the snow.

She slashed her arms, again and again, throwing spears of ice with furious ferocity, causing Vaatu to face her. He retaliated, sending huge chunks of ice at her. She barely evaded them, trembling from exhaustion.

He was too powerful, but she had to distract him from destroying Raava.

Khione raised her arms, gritting her teeth from the agonising effort, and a huge wave surged towards Vaatu, who effortlessly cut right through the middle of it.

Hopelessness spluttered to life in her. How could she hope to defeat an immortal spirit? She stumbled, trying to summon the strength she needed, when a huge sphere of water enveloped her. Panic spiked in Khione as she tried to break out, with no avail. His control over the water was too strong. Khione's hands flew to her throat, fear and panic bubbling up in her, pressing against her throat. She tried again, to no avail, to will the water to let her free.

His laughter was barely heard, over the sound of the muffled roaring in her ears.

Lungs aching, the need for air overriding any common sense, Khione's mouth opened, and water flooded her lungs.