Chapter 56.6- And so the Dragons Danced

XXXXXX- 85 YEARS ABE (After the Birth of the Empire)- KORRA

She dodged to the side of the blast of flames, running along the arena’s walls as she felt herself move like the element she controlled. More flames shot in her direction. She pushed off against the wall into a backflip that sent her right above the fire. She felt for the water in the air that surrounded her, coalesced it into a ball and sent the mass at her opponent. Mako of the Fire Islands skirted to the side and retaliated with even more fire.

She felt a smile build on her face as she rolled to avoid the fire. She’d done it. She could feel the pond, now close enough to control most of it. The water rose to her control, and she wrapped it around her arms in a set of watery limbs that acted as extensions of her own. Mako could see the writing on the wall and he sent even more fire in her direction.

She misted the fire, sending her water to match it before she spread the mist around the arena with a breath. In this, she could feel him as he tried to move for cover. Mako of the Fire Islands was one of the smarter fighters in this thing. Sure, he had less raw power than Bolin who had been one of the the prodigies of the Toph School of Earthbending and its Variants, but he’d still beaten his brother by outwitting him. He probably intended to do the same with Korra, but she was no idiot. She’d studied waterbending all her life, and this was her moment. Damn what Dad said. She moved, controlling a massive wave from the pond to rise to slam into him, but she instantly noticed him making some strange movements.

She never truly figured out what he was doing, until she saw the flash of lightning hit the mist and felt her limbs lock into place. She fell to the floor. Lightning bending? Who the fuck was this dude? The God-King’s Long lost Son? The mist cleared as he did something with his fire, but that was the least of her her problems. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t bend.

He walked over to her, looking smug.

“Is that truly the best you’ve got?” She heard the voice whisper in her ear. What? Who was that? Her gaze swam to Mako, but he was still walking to her, clearly struggling to move very fluidly. The lightning had probably affected him as well.

“Does your bending come from your muscles, Korra? Are you not strong enough to bend without your strength?” What the hell was the voice talking about? She’d gone mad. Even the voice she hallucinated was mad.

“Bend the water, girl” It seemed to become more urgent then as Mako finally stood before her. Fire roared into being. He aimed down to strike at her, and the water rose to her control, slamming into him and tossing hum into the distance.

“Good. Finally something worth something from you” The voice sounded so smug.

It disappeared then, and now she could har the roar of the crowd. It was over.

“The inaugural edition of the Emperor’s Combat Tournament is over. The Champion? Korra Skullcrusher” The announcer screamed her victory to the heavens, and this time she didn’t even flush at the silly last name she’d chosen when she was Seven.

A/N: Last chapter? Kind of. There’s obvi an Epilogue coming.