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Asami bolted awake from her nightmare, the incessant ringing of her alarm echoing in her ears. She struggled to sit up and shut the alarm off.
Looking around, she recognized her own room, her bed beneath her. Yes, she was in Republic City, not some remote Fire Nation village.
Had it been a dream?
Asami rubbed her temples; her head felt heavy and foggy. Yet, the vivid images from her dream were still etched in her mind.
She could still hear the poor child's anguished cries, see her eyes alternating between red and white light before losing their luster entirely. The memory of the small hands clutching her chest as she collapsed in front of Asami refused to fade.
Asami never found out what the child had seen before passing away.
Sitting on her bed for a while, she finally rose to start her day. Checking her calendar, she confirmed the date—April 12th, 174 AG, Tuesday. Three years had passed since Avatar Korra disappeared from the public eye.
Thank Raava, it had just been a dream.
Relaxing slightly, Asami suddenly noticed today's date was circled in red. There was an important meeting today!
Glancing at the wall clock, she cursed under her breath. She was going to be late, thanks to that damned dream!
Rushing through her morning routine, she skipped breakfast and headed straight for Future Industries' headquarters.
The meeting was about Future Industries' potential acquisition of a mechanical processing plant. Asami tried her best to focus on the discussions, but her mind kept drifting back to that horrible dream. At last, the meeting concluded, and she was free to leave.
After the meeting, Asami encountered Mako for the first time in a long while, as he had been serving as a guard under Prince Wu.
“Korra will be in Republic City tonight,” Mako informed her.
No, Korra wouldn't be coming to Republic City today. The thought suddenly surfaced in Asami's mind.
“Asami, you don't seem too happy,” Mako observed, concern evident in his eyes. “Korra will be back in Republic City today!” he reiterated.
“Oh, sorry, I'm just... a little tired. I can't wait to see her!” Asami replied.
That evening, Asami joined the others on Air Temple Island to await Korra's arrival.
“A ship from the Southern Water Tribe has docked,” a monk announced as he entered.
“It's Korra!” the children exclaimed excitedly, rushing outside.
Korra wasn't on the ship. No, it was only a dream; Korra should be coming back. Asami consoled herself, her expression somber as she followed the others to welcome the arrivals.
Only Naga and Tonraq disembarked from the ship.
“Korra left the South Pole half a year ago. She left a letter saying she was in Republic City,” Tonraq explained.
“I assure you, your daughter is not here,” Tenzin answered.
Everyone was shocked and confused about Korra's whereabouts, except for Asami.
It was exactly like her dream.
Was it really just a dream?
As Asami's uncertainty grew, she returned to her quarters and retrieved the letters Korra had sent her during her recovery in the South Pole. She examined the final letter, where she noticed a peculiar sentence at the end—”Please find me soon!”
Asami had read this letter countless times, and she was certain that sentence had not been there before. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and upon opening them again, the sentence remained.
Please find me soon!
Could the dream have been a premonition? Or perhaps... those events had actually transpired?
Unable to determine or explain the reasons behind these occurrences, Asami knew without a doubt that her top priority now was to find Korra as quickly as possible.
She unfolded her notebook on the table, closed her eyes, and carefully recalled the details of her dream.
Where did the dream begin?
She couldn't recall the morning meeting, but from the moment she met Mako, everything became familiar.
“Everyone anticipated Korra's arrival, but she didn't come to Republic City with her father,” she noted in her notebook. Up until this point, reality and the dream were aligned.
“A few days later, on the day of Wu's coronation, Kuvira staged a coup, plunging the Earth Kingdom into chaos. Many blamed Avatar Korra for going into hiding and shirking her responsibilities.
Tenzin instructed the air benders to search for Korra, but their efforts were fruitless. Then, he sent the children to look for her, yet they couldn't find her either.”
But... Asami put down her pen. If even Jinora couldn't find Korra, how could she?
So, did Korra give me this dream? Are all the clues hidden within this so-called dream?
Asami continued to delve into her memories of the dream, extracting events that might be related to Korra from the long and fragmented dream.
“About a month later, Future Industries' headquarters suffered an explosion. Fortunately, I was visiting my father in prison that day and escaped harm, but the company was dealt a devastating blow. The next day, a newspaper article was published stating that Avatar Korra had not intervened in either the terrorist attack or the growing power of Kuvira, concluding that Korra must be dead. Tenzin told me that people had completely given up on Korra, and the White Lotus had begun searching for the new Avatar around the world.”
“I was emotionally distraught, having to deal with matters related to the explosion while also attempting to accept the news of Korra's death. Even as those around me began to accept it, I still couldn't believe that Korra was gone.”
“Unable to bear being surrounded by chaos and sorrow, I abandoned all matters related to Future Industries and decided to search for Korra. Everywhere I went, people mocked me when I showed them Korra's photo, saying she was the worst Avatar and that I shouldn't bother looking for her. But my reason for searching wasn't because she was the Avatar; it was because she was Korra. I gradually realized this over time,” Asami's pen hesitated for a moment before she wrote three trembling words—I love her.
Her breath catches in her throat. A teardrop fell onto the paper, causing the ink to blur.
The dream was truly frightening. Her hand trembled so much that she couldn't continue writing about what happened next. She put down the pen and buried her face in her hands.
The events that unfolded in her dream proved her wrong; Korra had indeed died, and the White Lotus announced that the new Avatar had been found. She hurried to the Fire Nation to see the five-year-old child, after which the final scene from her dream took place. The Avatar was dead, and the Avatar cycle had ended.
It was just a dream, just a dream...
Or perhaps she still had a chance to save everything. But where could Korra be? The dream seemed to provide no clues.
Over the next few days, events unfolded as they had in her dream, including Wu's coronation ceremony. Asami realized that if she didn't take action, everything would lead to that terrible ending.
When Tonraq prepared to return to the South Pole, Asami approached him.
“Can I come with you to the South Pole?” Asami asked.
“Of course, but may I ask why?” Tonraq replied.
“I want to see Korra's room. I know it's an invasion of her privacy, but I must find her as soon as possible!”
Tonraq furrowed his brow slightly, considering her words for a moment before nodding. “I'll allow you to enter Korra's room, but if she finds out later, you'll bear the consequences.”
“Of course. As long as Korra can be found, I don't mind if she hates me...”
Asami found Korra's diary in her room.
“Please forgive me, Korra,” she whispered. “It's okay if you don't, but I can't let that ending happen...” Asami opened Korra's diary.
“That monstrous figure haunts my dreams, tormenting me every time I dare to close my eyes. Sleep has become my enemy, yet exhaustion plagues my every waking moment.”
“Katara's healing has left me broken and powerless. I'm a shell of who I once was, unable to walk, stand, or do anything on my own. I punched my legs; they were as unresponsive as if they are lifeless, so I tried to cut them with a small knife. I watched in a daze as the red liquid seeped out, trickling down my legs and onto the bed. They weren't dead after all, but I couldn't feel the pain.”
“My legs finally support me enough to stand, and Dad, Mom, Katara – everyone is happy for me. Perhaps I should be happy too, but I'm not; I feel sorrow. It took me two years to achieve such a simple movement. How much longer will it take me to enter the Avatar State again? What if I can never enter it again? Perhaps the world would be better off if I just... disappeared.”
“No progress, no progress, no progress! I can't find my old self, and even if I can still bend, it's too weak, far too weak. I can't keep going on like this; I need to leave the South Pole – maybe that will help. But if I still can't find my way back to who I was, perhaps it's time to let go. The world needs an Avatar who can protect and serve, not a broken spirit like me.”
As Asami read these words, her fingers clenched tightly around Korra's diary, crumpling the pages in her hands. She could feel her heart shattering as she absorbed Korra's pain, her desperation, and her loneliness. She could hardly think.
Calm down, Asami!
Asami took a deep breath, pondering the connection between Korra's diary and the events in her dream. From the diary, it seemed likely that Korra had committed suicide.
Suddenly, Asami remembered a detail: she saw the child's birthday marked on the calendar in the child's home. She noticed that the day was significant because the new Avatar's birthday and Asami's birthday were the same. Did Korra choose to commit suicide on Asami's birthday?
Did she specifically choose that day?
But why?
Asami couldn't make sense of why Korra would choose such a tragic course of action on that particular day. Yet, according to her dream, she had only twenty days to find Korra.
Asami informed Tonraq and Tenzin about the possibility of Korra's suicide but chose not to disclose the specific date from her dream. She was uncertain if they would believe information that came from a dream.
Upon returning to Republic City, she and others searched various locations where Korra might be, but to no avail; two weeks had passed with no leads.
With six days remaining, Asami still needed to address the terror attack on Future Industries Tower, which occurred at 18:58 on the day before her birthday, resulting in the death of over twenty people and the building's complete collapse. Investigations later indicated that the terror attack could have been an act of revenge by business rivals against Future Industries, yet the perpetrators were never caught.
Asami requested help from Lin and Mako. Although they doubted the reliability of Asami's information, they couldn't ignore it. The police tightened patrols and security around Future Industries Tower but found no suspicious signs until the day of the explosion.
After 17:00, the entire building was evacuated. Lin surveyed the building's structure, but no explosives were found. “If what you're saying is true, they would have less than two hours to plant the bomb,” she commented, starting to wonder if this was all just a farce.
Asami began to wonder if the increased police presence over the past few days had caused those responsible to change their plans. If that were the case, the unfolding events would be diverging from her dream, complicating matters further. It was possible that even the date of Korra's death could change, if she had already...Asami didn't dare continue that line of thought.
“Suspects spotted on the sixth floor!” Mako's voice crackled over the radio. “They're heading down to the fifth floor via the eastern stairwell!” Lin and a group of officers hurried towards the location.
Asami, equipped with her electrified gloves, followed them, only to be intercepted on the fourth floor by another intruder. “Who are you, and what do you want?” she demanded, launching an attack at the masked figure.
“Consider this your birthday present, Asami Sato!” The intruder laughed as he shot a clod of earth at her before turning to flee.
A birthday present... Asami recalled that perhaps Korra didn't choose that particular day to die intentionally. Instead, she could have wanted to complete one final task before her death—such as leaving Asami a birthday present.
But in her dream, Asami had not received a gift from Korra. If Korra had left the gift in the Future Industries Tower, it would be lost forever once the building was destroyed.
Damn it, that must mean Korra had been in the building at some point today, but when?
In her dream, Asami hadn't been in the building that day, so Korra could have shown up in her office at any time. But in reality, Asami had been here for most of the day, and with the police patrolling, the only times her office would have been unguarded were just now and...
Asami glanced at her watch. It was 18:26, leaving 32 minutes until the explosion.
Abandoning her pursuit of the intruder, she turned and sprinted back to her office floor. She pushed open her office door.
Through the window, she could see the fiery sunset and the ignited evening sky. Against this backdrop was a familiar figure, her hair now cropped short, wearing Earth Kingdom clothes. She looked at Asami and prepared to escape through the window.
“Stay right there, Korra!” Asami commanded sternly.
“Hey...Asami...” Korra slowly turned, raising her right hand. “I thought you'd already left for the day.”
Asami didn't reply, instead quickly approaching Korra and delivering a punch to her stomach.
Korra hunched over, clutching her abdomen, then regained her balance. “As...Asami?”
Asami grabbed Korra's clothes with one hand, her other hand's glove crackling with electricity.
Korra tried to escape, but froze upon seeing the tears spilling from Asami's angry eyes.
Asami’s fist trembling, before lowering it. “You chose to die?” Her voice became hoarse.
“I...I didn't...” Korra stammered, desperately trying to avoid Asami's piercing gaze.
Asami released Korra, causing her to fall to the ground. Asami shoved the gift aside and seized a folded paper from beneath it. She opened the letter and shoved it in Korra's face. “Then what is this?!”
Asami hadn't read the letter – or rather, this suicide note – but she could already guess what Korra had written.
“How...did you...know...?” Korra mumbled. She snatched the paper from Asami's hand and crumpled it into a ball.
“I searched for you for five years!” Tears streamed down Asami's cheeks, her voice breaking with desperation and anguish.
“Asami...” Korra didn't fully understand what Asami was saying, but Asami's emotional outburst left her at a loss.
“You know that many people want to help you recover...”
“That's what everyone says, but it's useless, isn't it?” Korra shouted, moving back and throwing the paper ball to the ground. “It's been three years! I can't live up to people's expectations! I'm a terrible Avatar! They want me to die! They need a new Avatar, not a worthless person like me!”
Listening to Korra's words, Asami's heart ached. Her initial anger was overshadowed by the pain in Korra's voice. Slowly, she slid down to her knees beside Korra, gazing into her eyes. “Listen, Korra. I know your struggle, and I know it's been hard for you, but you don't have to face this alone.”
“But...” Korra choked, “I'm really afraid I'll never be able to enter the Avatar State again. I don't know what the meaning of my life is anymore...”
“You're not just the Avatar. First and foremost, you're Korra. You're far from worthless. Your parents need you, your friends need you, and I need you...” Asami embraced Korra, her grip on Korra's clothes tightening. “I love you, Korra...”
Korra fell silent. Her eyes closing as she slowly tightened her embrace around Asami. She could feel Asami's body tremble with each sob, allowing Asami's tears to soak her clothes. Korra's own eyes began to well up with tears as she gently stroked Asami's hair.
Asami's breathing gradually calmed. She raised her head, wiped her tear-blurred eyes with her hand, and glanced at the wall clock.
There were 16 minutes left until the explosion.
Lin had informed Asami that if they couldn't stop the explosion 15 minutes before it went off, they would have to evacuate. “We need to leave now! There's going to be an explosion here!” Asami stood up and reached out to help Korra off the ground.
“An explosion?” Korra asked.
“Someone planted a bomb in the building, but Lin couldn't find it. I hope it's just a false alarm, but we have to evacuate now.”
“Wait!” Korra knelt on one knee, touching the concrete floor with her hand and closing her eyes to feel the signals transmitted by the spirit vines. “I know where the bomb is! You evacuate first, and I'll go find it.” She stood up and explained to Asami.
“I've told you that you don't have to face this alone.” Asami had no intention of leaving Korra behind.
Korra nodded, and they rushed downstairs together.
“The bomb is made from spirit vines, making it difficult to distinguish them. The spirit vines assist in the transmission of explosive energy, so this explosion would be catastrophic.” Korra explained as they navigated the dimly lit corridors.
Downstairs, at the roots of the spirit vines, they encountered three masked individuals.
“You found this place! Wow! Look who we've found! The Avatar Korra, how lucky we are to see you again before you die!” One of the masked individuals laughed. With a wave of his hand, he hurled a rock at Korra. She dodged with a somersault and threw a blast of fire at the earth bender.
Simultaneously, the other two earth benders launched their attacks. A series of rocks flew towards Korra. She used air bending to alter their trajectories before executing a flying kick, which caused a clump of earth to hit one of the bender's head, knocking him unconscious.
The other earth bender sneakily attacked from behind. A massive stone pillar rose from the ground, slamming Korra against the wall. Her entire body fell heavily to the floor. Just as she tried to get up, the earth bender was already standing in front of her.
“You're too weak, Avatar!” the earth bender taunted.
“Korra!” Asami dodged her opponent's attack, swiftly turning to press her electrified glove against the back of the earth bender who was attempting to strike Korra. A massive surge of electricity coursed through his body, causing him to lose consciousness.
The last earth bender took the opportunity to trap Korra and Asami by raising an earthen wall around their body, confining them to the ground.
“You'll die here!” He abandoned the struggle with Korra and Asami, fleeing towards the exit before sealing it shut with a stone wall.
There were only 20 seconds left until the bomb detonated.
Korra managed to free herself from the restraints and swiftly released Asami.
In the final moments, Korra directed purifying energy towards the spirit vines in an attempt to prevent the explosion.
But it was too late.
The bomb detonated on schedule.
Asami's vision was momentarily engulfed in white light.
It was all over, but at least she had found Korra, and the Avatar cycle wouldn't end now. The future is yours, new Avatar...
Wait. She was still alive. Asami felt the air flowing across her skin. The white light faded, revealing Korra's entire body glowing with radiant golden energy, her eyes shining with white light. She extended her arms forward, the Avatar's power ultimately confining the explosion within a small sphere of several meters in diameter.
Everything fell silent.
The next day, Avatar Korra's return and successful prevention of a devastating terrorist attack dominated the headlines of various media outlets.
Korra was not gazing at the night scene of Republic City for the first time. Just two nights ago, she stood atop the Future Industries building, contemplating how to silently die as she looked upon the cityscape in front of her.
Today, Republic City's dazzling night appeared so beautiful and enchanting, yet beneath the bustling surface lay numerous crimes and conspiracies, along with the looming threat of Kuvira. As the Avatar, Korra still had many tasks to accomplish.
Korra closed her eyes, and the physical world around her dissolved, giving way to the ethereal realm where Raava's presence awaited. A large, white kite appeared before her.
“It's been a while since we've talked,” Raava said.
“You know I only reconnected with the Avatar Spirit yesterday.”
“It's been a long and arduous process.”
“Yeah...” Korra fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Was the dream Asami mentioned real?”
“That depends on how you look at it. From the present perspective, that terrible outcome did not happen, did it?”
Korra nodded.
“But from my perspective, it did occur, as my existence is independent of time and space,” Raava continued.
“So there was a reversal of time?”
“Yes, I can see the changes in the timeline.”
“At that time...” Korra took a deep breath, “What exactly happened?”
“You chose death, and your despair allowed Vaatu to take advantage of the situation. He joined me in reincarnating as the next Avatar. When he attempted to fully control the new Avatar, your will collided with his in an effort to stop him, ultimately destroying both of you. The massive energy fluctuations caused a distortion in time.”
“That poor child...”
“That child was born smoothly today; she's just an ordinary Fire bender.”
Korra sighed in relief, “That's good. Thankfully, no one died because of my foolishness.”
“Asami may be the only one truly affected.”
“Asami...” Korra lowered her eyelids, “Why does she remember?”
“Perhaps it's because the pain she experienced during those five years was deeply engraved in her heart, or maybe it's because you entrusted your final hope to her.”
Over those five years, Asami faced the devastating blow of Future Industries' destruction. Bearing immense pain, she traveled the world alone in search of someone who had died and could never be found. Eventually, she witnessed that horrifying ending. All this, everything, she experienced firsthand.
I'm such a complete jerk! Korra bit her lip.
“No, Korra!” Asami's sudden shout echoed within Korra's meditative state, pulling her back to reality! Korra quickly broke free from her trance and hurried back to the bedroom.
Asami, still dreaming, had a furrowed brow, her forehead covered in beads of sweat. “You can't do this, Korra...” she murmured, a tear sliding down her cheek.
“Asami...” Korra gently wiped away the tear and enveloped her hand within her own. Asami's furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and her breathing became steadier. Guilt and another indescribable emotion arose from Korra's heart as she gazed at Asami's face.
“I'm sorry, Asami...”
I don't know how to make amends, but I will spend my life healing your pain.