"So, what are we doing today, Tenzin? Reinforcement on my fire bending, meditating, anything but that air bending practice spinning thing..."
"No, Korra. We will not be bending today," he said as they got off the boat and onto the island a few miles away from republic city. "Today is strictly a history lesson."
"History? Of Aang? I've already heard about how he got trapped in the ice and met Katara, Sokka, Toph, and even firelord Zuko and defeated Ozai. What else is there?"
"you will find soon, Korra, that not all important stories make it into common history. Have you ever heard of Kari's cave?"
"just in talk of directions, why?"
Tenzin took her up a steep path that led from the beach to a cave hidden in the cliff face overlooking the sea. He stopped at the entrance and sighed.
"the legend behind this place is something that haunted my father to his grave, the one time he blamed himself for another's death- well, I shouldn't call it death. You will see for yourself,"
They entered the cave just as the setting sun lit it up. Inside were hundreds of statues of the same person, all in different poses.
"one of these statues is said to alive. It was the first development in weapons that could hurt benders specifically the avatar. The weapon, concealed in the cave, was meant to seal the avatar in his own powers and break the cycle and power of the avatar. A friend of aang's found out of the trap he was going to set foot into and ran into it herself but threw him out of the cave before he was affected by the curse. The weapon was guarded against aang's avatar powers, but it was believed that the next avatar could break the curse. Kari was a skilled firebender who learned from General Iroh and Firelord Zuko. Her bending actually was closely similar to the style of waterbending. She was an innovator. And braver than anyone my father knew. He felt that he failed when he couldn't save her. Have a look around, try to pick which one is her."
As she began wandering among the hundreds of statues, Lin Beifong, Chief of police, came in and made another statues using earth bending. Korra couldn't hear much but she heard that she was only there to carry on her mother's tradition in the stead of the last avatar, who built the many statues to protect Kari from anyone who might want her destroyed. All they would have to do is smash the statues. With many statues, at least it
would take longer and tire out the attacker before they could find the real Kari. They all look different as a riddle to find the real one.
"So, you still hold onto the false hope that there really is a Kari, or that she is even alive? It's a false hope, Tenzin."
"Nevertheless, she should be exposed to the legend eventually, and given the opportunity to try to awaken her."
"Very well, I suppose that there is nothing to lose but more hope. Good luck, Tenzin"
"goodbye, Lin"
Korra wandered through the many statues, occasionally feeling one for a pulse. Each one seemed to tell a story of what Kari must have been feeling during that moment of chaos. Some faced the direction of the trap with fierce bravery in their eyes, some even cowered in fear. Some even posed gracefully.
"This is hopeless!" She sat on the floor and meditated, reaching out for Aang. Flashes of his memories from that event 40 years ago.
"Aang, stop! It's a trap!" a click echoed and chi pulsed through the cave. "Oh no, you gotta get out of here!"
"Not without you!"
"There's no time, get out, NOW!!!" she threw him out of the entrance of the cave, trusting his airbending to stop him from falling. As he floated down her hands were still outstretched from throwing him but she turned to face the horrible wave of chi energy. It enveloped her, burning fire, crushing earth, drowning water, and by the time air came around she was solidified and feeling dead or asleep.
Korra opened her eyes finding the statue and reached out and touched her hand. She turned away when a moment of nothing, thinking perhaps she chose the wrong one. Then a strange wind blew around the statue, water crawled up the body and soaked into the skin, making it look as though it was really wet skin. The stone of the statues cracked and broke off to reveal and inner body of flame. Slowly the flames went out and the girl fell, feinting. Tenzin had noticed and was running towards Kari. He picked her up in his arms, checking for life signs. Her breathing was slow, heartbeat slower and getting even slower, he was worried.
"Aang..."she said weakly. "Is that you?...you look so old, how long has it been...ugh..." and she collapsed in his arms, unconscious.
