Page 142 of Forsaken Secrets

What did it all mean? Why didn't I remember those things?

No! The stranger was just trying to distract me.

"Why do you think you deserve more? When was the last time you actually tried to help someone and succeeded? Could it be that you fail because you don't actually want to succeed …"

"No. I want people … I just want them to be good people. Is that too much to ask?"

"It is if you're reckless with their affections,"he said, staring at a memory of me walking away from Sylvie, leaving her to repair a leaky roof as I snuck to the ruins.

My heart lurched as dozens of similar memories flooded my mind.

Was he right?

Another portal came up, this one covered in slimy creatures of some sort.

It was an image of Uncle Calix smiling and sending me off to town.

I shook my head. Not this one. I didn't want to relive this one again.

He'd looked worried, but I'd convinced him I needed to run that errand. I'd be careful and not talk to anyone, I'd said, pleading. He'd nodded and sent me off.

"You lied to him, though. Didn't you? You just wanted to explore that ruin. Now tell me, is that not reckless? You thought you knew best, but ended up betraying the person you loved most … and you expect others not to betray you?"

I covered my ears.

I knew better than this. I was more than this.

Lynk's words from the woods came back to me. It's not your fault…

Yes, I was reckless. But I also worked hard for what I believed in! Things happened that were outside of my control, and I couldn't blame myself for them forever.

I needed to fix what I could and let go of the rest.

Right now, that bastard was something I needed to let go of.

Shoring up my defenses, I pushed out, using all the love, regret, and hope I had in my heart to fuel me. The ice around my legs shattered.

I needed to get out of here and save Aunt Grace, but the white-haired bastard was holding me captive somehow.

I was done with it.

So, I faced him, staring into those empty eyes as though they didn't make my knees feel weak, and slammed my clenched fist into his smug face.

His empty eyes went wide, and the image of him shattered into a thousand pieces, sending the portal of my memory back into the ocean where it belonged.

I reached towards the brightest thing I could.

My korra slammed into something strong and far away from whatever this place was.

I gathered every emotion I felt and channeled it into my korra. Heaving that cord with all my strength, I threw it at the light.

A sudden jolt of energy flooded my system, pushing all the coldness away.

YES! I'd done it!!

Determined, I reached out and pulled myself along the new bond, leaving the strange realm with all its painful memories behind.

"We'll see you again, little Forsaken,”the man's voice whispered against the edges of my mind.

I cringed.

Whatever he was, wherever that was, was insane … and I wanted nothing more to do with it.

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