Valkyrie

Fractured: Part Three

Tenzin would have been proud. All those lessons and lectures and meditation sessions that he had coerced her into during her rebellious years actually paid off. Just before the blazing heel came crashing down on her skull, Korra exhaled a breath of such magnitude that it sent her body flying back. With her throat and nostrils burning from the sudden use of such forceful airbending, she staggered to her feet. What greeted her was the sight of an unbruised, unbroken and ever so youthful Azula, who despite her knotted and unwashed hair, remained utterly picturesque. All except for an unwavering smile that coldly resembled that of a serpent.

Her eyes darted around her person, peering over her new appearance like she were a living work of art. Her smile widened, followed by a laugh that was unburdened by age.

"Marvellous," she grinned.

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a deep blue flame in the palm of her hand, one whose colour and ferocity was ten times greater than when she was an old woman. The fire danced in her eyes, gazing over it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"What an illustrious gift you have given me, Avatar."

The impact of Korra's fist was staggering, but was hardly as frightening as Azula's reaction. With a single motion her arm had blocked the punch and was easily keeping it in place, her eyes not once drifting from the fire in her hand.

Puffing and grunting, Korra tried to force it further, but to no avail.

"I suppose I should show you my gratitude," she replied before letting loose a single swing that knocked Korra's arm back, leaving plenty of room for her leg to reach its mark by smashing into her side.

Spluttering, Korra had barely any time to react before the escaped convict began a feral assault with her fists. With speed and reflexes beyond anything she had seen before, the Avatar soon found herself on the receiving end of a plethora of heavy blows that managed to slip her guard. It was a deadly dance built on such relentless precision that she had no time to repel it her with bending. As she felt her jaw shake from the impact of a rather nasty uppercut, she mustered whatever strength was left and forced both her arms forward to try and push her attacker off balance, only for Azula to beat her to the punch and grab onto her wrists, holding her in place. Their eyes finally meeting, the two could not look more opposite. Porcelain skin reflected against a battered and slightly bloody face.

"You're so slow Avatar, must get annoying being reincarnated into such a sluggish body," Azula chuckled.

"What did you do?!" Korra bit back.

"I think you'll find it's what we did, after all you did steady my aim," she said. "You allowed that old hunk of wood to burn, and gave me exactly what I wanted. As you can see, I was tad spryer in my youth," her words drenched in mockery, just as she brought her knee into Korra's sternum. "This is the face of Fire Nation, its true heir, the one who struck down Avatar Aang and brought the Earth Kingdom to the brink of ruin."

Korra could barely breathe but was still just about managing to hold on.

"Whatever you're planning...whatever evil is lurking in that sick head of yours...I am going to stop you," she growled, teeth clenched and veins pulsing.

"Look, you're the new girl so I'll let you down gently," Azula retorted, just before following it up with a strike to the breastbone. "I am beyond anything you have ever faced. In my prime, I burnt whole cities to the ground and stepped on its ashes, but now..." she grinned as her hands suddenly became alight with blue fire. "I will burn this rotten world to its core."

Korra's agonising screams echoed across the Spirit World. Her flesh charring as Azula's enflamed fingers held on tightly. A few more minutes of this and there was little doubt that she would melt through to the bone. As the pain circulated through her body, she forced her tear-stained eyes to look on the princess. Her cries of pain slowly began to shift towards the growls you would hear in that of a corned animal.