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We ride on Naga far away from the park and to a bus stop.
"I think we're safe here." Korra says before we all get off of Naga.
Pabu climbs onto my shoulder and the three of us sit on the bench. I looked at Mako and watched him pull out a few of the fliers that man was handing out at the park.
"Why'd you grab those?" I asked him.
"Maybe they give some clues as to what the 'revelation' is. We just have to look closely. Here, take these."
He hands me two of his fliers and I look at both of them closely.
I read in between the lines, tried looking for certain details but nothing came up.
"I don't get it. Why wouldn't they just print the location on the paper?" Korra asks while frustrated examining a paper.
"Obviously because they don't want just anyone walking into their big 'revelation.' Whatever the hell that is." Mako said.
I held on up to the sun and noticed something on the back. I turn it over and it's a line and a dot.
That's weird. Maybe its just a stain. I tried scratching at it but it didn't come off. It was printed on the paper.
I took the second paper in my hand and turned it around and saw that the lines on both the papers connected.
Ohh, it's a big map..
I noticed that they went off the page and I tried to make out what it was but it didn't make complete sense.
if these two match, then the others have to match as well...
Luckily, Mako picked up more than a few. I looked on the floor and see a bunch of fliers sprawled out all over the ground.
I crouched down and started scrambling the papers around, looking for ones that match the two papers.
I found two more and put the four pages all together.
"Mako, look." I put the map on the ground and showed him.
"It's a map showing where the revelation is gonna be." I told him.
He took the pages and walked over to the map on the bus stop. He held it up, trying to look for the location on the map on the side of the bus stop.
"Let's see... it should be right.. here!" The big map matched the one on the papers and showed that the event was going to be held at an abandoned warehouse.
"Good eye, Y/N." Korra said.
"Thanks. So, now what do we do? We know where it's gonna be but this thing don't start for another... uh, what time is it?"
I walked around the bus stop, looking for a clock or something and I found one, reading that it had just turned ten o' clock in the morning.
"Twelve hours." I muttered to myself.
I hear Mako and Korra walk up behind me.
"Should we keep looking for Bolin?" Korra asks.
"We should go get something to eat. We've been up all night last night and the last thing I ate was one single meat-bun." Mako says, rubbing his stomach.
"Sounds good." Korra and I say before we walk to the market to buy some food.
✰₊˚.༄
About eleven hours later, we're in the attic and we start to get ready for the event that starts in an hour.
We found some coats and hats in the closet and decided to wear those to try and not to stand out too much.
"Okay, remember what I said. Stay low and blend in with the crowd. Tonight, we're just three people who hate benders." Mako tells us after straightening up his collar.
"Got it." I said.
"Easy enough." Korra says before she walks over to me and straightens up my collar.
She saw i was worried and picked up my face in her hands, making me forget about Bolin entirely.
"Don't worry. We're gonna find Bolin." She whispered.
"I hope so." I gave her a fake smile and she returned it, the only difference being hers was real.
"Alright, you two ready to go?" Mako said.
We both nodded. "Mhm."
"Oh wait, Korra." Mako stopped her before we walked out and gently wrapped his iconic red scarf around her neck.
"There. Your identity is the one we most need to protect." He said.
I watched her blush and say thank you before I scoffed and left the arena a little ways ahead of them.
We took Naga to the building where the event was taking place.
I recognize it. It's just an old abandoned building but I remember coming here before. A long time ago, but I still remember.
It used to be a manufacturing factory and I helped out there as a side job. But eventually some illegal shit went down causing them to close.
It's been abandoned ever since. It makes sense for the revelation to be held here. I don't think anyone else remembers this place even existed.
We walk Naga to an alleyway and let her and Pabu rest there. It was well hidden, so we didn't have to worry about anyone finding them.
We walked through the dimly lit alleyway and to the entrance door.
Before we reached the entranceway, I saw Korra link her arm with Mako's out of the corner of my eye.
"What are you doing?" Mako whispered.
"We'll attract less attention this way." She whispered back.
I felt that familiar sting of jealousy come back but I did my best to push it away when we reached the body guard at the entrance.
I put on my nicest smile when looking up at him.
"This is a private event. No one gets in without an invitation." His deep voice stated.
"Invitation?" Korra asked. Then I remembered the fliers. I had one in my pocket and pulled it out. I wasn't even sure it would work, it could be just a flier.
"Do you mean this?" I asked. I handed it to him and he examined it before putting on a small and less-threatening smile.
"The revelation is upon us, my brother and sisters." His dark tone became lighthearted as he stepped aside to let us in.
We thanked him briefly and walked in.
The building hadn't changed all that much. It was older and dustier.
We kept walking until we reached a balcony. It looked over a huge crowd of people.
I felt myself grow slowly nervous. "All these people really hate benders?" I mumbled.
"I knew those kind of people existed but I've never seen so many in one place." Mako says.
"Let's just keep our eyes open for Bolin. Come on, it's about it start." I muttered. They both nodded and followed me down the steps.
We struggled to walk through the crowd but were finally able to get close enough to the stage before the spotlights flashed on.
"Please welcome your hero, your savior, Amon!" An announcer yelled before the crowd burst into cheers and celebratory claps.
I couldn't care less about Amon right now and started looking at the people around me to see if I could spot out Bolin but it was no use.
I looked up to the stage and saw the man wearing a mask, along with a couple of equalists, rise from the floor.
"That mask is badass. I should get me one of those." I muttered jokingly, shoving Mako's arm.
"You're right but please, not right now." He whispered.
I chuckled to myself. I turn my attention back to Amon and watched as he walks toward the microphone.
He begins to speak. "My quest for equality began many years ago.." his bone-chilling voice sent shivers down my spine.
"When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father." He says.
"One day my father confronted this man. But when he did, that firebender took my family from me. Then... he took my face." He looked at the crowd scarily and every let out surprised gasps.
"I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since."
I look at Mako and then at Korra.
"As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City." He stated.
I grew nervous when the crowd started to "boo" and jeer when he mentioned Korra.
She brought the scarf she was wearing to up to the bottom half of her face protect her identity.
"And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world is suffering."
Well, he's not completely wrong but..
"It has been the cause of every war in every era. But that is about to change."
"This guy can't be serious." Korra grumbled under her breath.
"You've got to admit, he's making a good point." I winced.
"Are you seriously taking his side right now?" She spat.
"I'm not taking his side. I'm just saying he has a point. Just think about it, the air nomad genocide? The siege of the north? The southern water tribe raids? Who were they all cause by? Benders."
She didn't reply. She just scoffed and reverted her attention back to Amon.
I wish he wasn't right about benders and their tendency to start many wars and battles but considering our history, it's just facts.
"I know what you all must be thinking. 'What is the revelation?' Well, you are about to get your answer."
I grew anxious with anticipation as he was about to reveal why he gathered everyone here.
"Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world. And they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity."
I scoffed. What the hell does he know about spirits and what they have to say?
"That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away..."
"permanently."
When I tell you I almost lost my shit, I'm being completely serious. Because I knew he wasn't lying.
But the only person that's been powerful enough to do something like that is the Avatar. Specifically Avatar Aang.
"This guy is fucking insanse." I heard Mako say under his breath.
"And now, for a demonstration. Please welcome, 'Lightning Bolt' Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad." He turned to a man being held by an equalist.
"And one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City."
The crowd started to jeer once again and I saw him spat at the crowd in response.
I looked to the side and saw them bringing in more people with their hands tied behind their back.
I looked at the end of the line of people and saw Bolin being thrown to the floor.
"Oh my god." I mumbled.
"There's Bolin." Korra whispered before starting to walk toward the stage.
"Wait." Mako said quickly pulling her back.
"We can't fight them all. We need to be smart about this." He told her.
"Then hurry up and come up with a plan, team captain." She muttered sarcastically.
Suddenly, I saw Zolt being let go and shuffling away from the man who had him tied up.
"..I will give him a chance to fight to keep his bending." Amon says.
"You're gonna regret doin' that, pal." Zolt smirked before sending a bunch of powerful gusts of fire toward Amon, except he was dodging all of them perfectly.
Then, Zolt sent a huge bolt of lightning straight toward the masked man, but he ducked out of his way and grabbed Zolt' arm, sending the bolt upward.
I watched Amon place his right hand on Zolt's neck and his left thumb in the middle on his forehead.
His lightning bolt soon turned to a powerful gust of fire and then it disappeared just like that.
I watched the man fall as if he were dead. For a second, I thought he was. Before he tried lifting himself up and he sloppily threw his fist in the air.
He fell but caught himself on the floor of the stage. He looks up at Amon.
"What the hell... did you do to me?" He groaned.
"Your fire-bending is gone. Forever."
I felt myself stop breathing and looked over at Bolin in horror.
He's gonna lose his bending if we don't do something quick.
"The era of bending is over. A new era of equality has begun!"
The crowd burst into cheers and screams. How could they be happy with something like this? It's inhumane.
"Okay, I think I've got an idea..." Mako muttered.
We both looked at him. "See those machines?"
He pointed at the pipes that were connected to the wall.
"They're powered by water and steam. If either of you can create some cover, I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then, we can duck out of here." He said.
"I can do it. Korra, you'll keep watch, Make sure no one sees or follows us. Yeah?" I told her.
"Sounds good." She went ahead of me through the crowd and I looked up at Mako.
"Good luck, big brother." I said quickly, giving him a quick smile.
"You too. Now go, hurry." He muttered.
I nodded and rushed through the crowd. I found Korra at the side of building and she waved me over.
We both walked quickly through the old hallways of the factory.
We found the same pipes that Mako pointed out and I looked at the big wheel connected to a big pipe.
I twisted it until a small bit of steam burst out on the side of it.
"It's not enough." I muttered. I looked over at another wheel and twisted it too. Some more steam started to pour out but it was still such a small amount coming from both of them.
I stopped when I heard the body guard's voice storm through.
"Hey, you two!" He said.
I immediately stood up next to Korra, pretending to ignore the very obvious steam that hung low to the floor.
"Uh- is there a problem, my brother?" Korra smiled sheepishly.
It took everything in me not to burst out laughing.
"What are you two doing back here?" He asked us.
"Uhm..." Korra started but I quickly grabbed her hand, ready to get the hell out of that hallway.
"We were just looking for the bathroom but couldn't find it. So, we're going now." I smiled and so did she.
I glanced down at his hand and watched him slowly pull out a wrench from his pocket.
Korra caught on to my suspicion and follows my line of sight.
She pushed me aside before the man strikes his tool but Korra quickly dodged him.
She moved swiftly around him and he accidentally hits the pipes.
That's when I got an idea.
I pulled Korra toward me and took the scarf from her neck.
"Wait, Y/N!" I heard her call out but I ignored her.
The man tried to strike me with the wrench but I dodged it closely and wrapped his other hand with the scarf.
I swung him around with all of my might and threw him against the pipes, making more than enough steam pour out of them.
"DAMN! That bitch was like a thousand pounds!" I groaned holding my wrists.
I unwrapped the scarf around his hands and stuffed it into my jacket.
"That was amazing, Y/N! This should be enough to create a cover." She laughed.
"Thanks. Now let's hurry before Amon gets to Bolin." I said quickly.
She nodded and we both start to bend the steam in circles before we punched trough the wall and letting the steam fill the whole building.
I heard people screaming in fear and starting to run out of factory.
"Great. Let's go. Mako should be getting to Bolin by now." I nodded before she took my and led me back to the fog-filled crowd.
There was so much I didn't even know where I was going. People were screaming and running around, shoving past each other.
I kept bumping into people and got pushed around once or twice.
"Mako? Bolin?! Korra? Whe-" I was calling out for them but I stopped when I bumped into someone.
They were broad and strong and me not paying attention to what was in front of me, they caused me to fall over.
I held myself up with my arms when I looked up to see that the person I bumped into had now turned around and I felt my face fall in horror.
The familiar masked man with a hood over his face stared dead at me.
I was so terrified, I couldn't move. I just sat there like an idiot.
I gathered the courage to back up from him and struggled to stand back up before running off into the steam and losing him.
shit, shit, shit! find mako. just find mako and get the fuck out of here.
The heat that radiated off the steam got me to start sweating on my neck and forehead.
I heard Mako's voice a little spaces away from me and I rushed into that direction.
I found him with Bolin behind him and immediately ran to him. He spotted me and grabbed my shoulders.
"Y/N! Are you alright?" He yelled through all the screams while shaking my shoulders.
I couldn't let any words out of my mouth so I just nodded.
I looked to his side and felt immediate relief when my eyes laid on Bolin's excited expression.
"Oh my god, Bo!" I exclaimed, eagerly wrapping my arms around him in a hug.
"Thank the sprits you're okay." I said into his shoulder.
"Hate to break this up but we need to go. Like right now." Mako told us.
We both nodded and followed him through a door.
Mako kicked it open and I felt the cold air touch my face once we walked into a balcony.
There was a ladder and I was the first to climb down it. Once I reached the ground and let go of it, the ladder was covered in electrical blue and I heard the boys scream in pain above me.
I stepped away from the ladder and watched them fall.
I couldn't completely gather my thoughts before a chi-blocker jumped down from the balcony and the boys suddenly stood up, ready to fight the guy.
Immediately, Mako let out a huge flame out of his fist but the man shoved him and started hitting him with sticks but they were electrified.
The man hit Mako's back and then hit his stomach, making him plummet before the man.
I was standing next to Bolin when he sent large rocks flying toward the man, but he dodged all of them.
In panic, Bolin created a divider with the earth under him but the man managed to jump over it; he was now standing in front of us.
I ushered Bolin to get behind me but he didn't listen and stayed frozen in his spot.
The man threw a punch toward me but I ducked it in time.
I threw myself behind the man and watched him jab Bolin with the electrified sticks and I cringed when Bolin started screaming out in pain.
In anger, I grabbed the man's shoulder, forcing him to face me and I punched him square in the jaw.
He fell back a few steps and I didn't give him any time to look up before I kicked him, making his head hit the divider.
He collapsed in front of me and I thought he was passed out.
I looked over and crouched down to shake Bolin's shoulders, trying to get him to wake up. He only stirred and groaned nonsense.
I felt the hairs on the back on my neck stand up when I heard electrical zaps behind me.
I didn't have time to react before Mako kicked flames at the man, causing him to fall over again.
Just to be petty, I got up and and grabbed the sticks that he dropped before turning them on and sticking them into his chest.
I watched him yell out in pain for a few seconds before I pulled them away and he passed out cold.
I turned off the electrical sticks and looked down at the them in amazement.
"I think I'll keep these." I chuckled, looking at Mako.
"You better hope I don't get mad at you.."
I turned them on and shoved them in Mako's face teasingly.
"Whoa- okay, hey! Stop it! Be careful with those." He scolded.
I laughed menacingly before turning them back off. I held them in my hands as Mako woke up Bolin and we ran to the alleyway where we left Naga.
I saw Korra impatiently waiting for us and once she saw all of us, she quickly lifted herself onto the saddle and the rest of us followed.
We ran away from the building and headed to the city where it was crowded, just in case they wouldn't see us and follow us.
We stopped at the plaza and made sure no chi-blockers were on our tail.
"Okay I think we're good." Korra said as we all got off Naga.
I looked at Bolin and gave him another tight hug. "I'm so happy you're okay, Bo!" I said into his shoulder.
"We were so worried about you, bro." Mako joined the hug and we held him for a moment before I heard Bolin squeaking.
"Guys- I can't breathe- too tight!"
"Oh- sorry! Sorry." I stammered and let him go quickly.
"It's fine." He coughed, holding his chest.
"They didn't hurt you did they?" I asked him.
"No, just a few rope burns here and there, you know? Nothing too serious." He said.
"I'm glad you're okay, Bolin. Should I get you guys home?" Korra asked us.
"Yes please! I miss the attic!" Bolin cried.
I chuckled to myself.
We rode Naga back to the arena in the middle of the night.
"Thanks again for taking us home." I told Korra as we entered the lobby and Mako and Bolin started to head up.
"Don't mention it. I'm glad Bolin got home okay. Before anything happened to him..." She said.
I got the chills thinking about what happened tonight. "I can't believe he was able to figure out something like that." She muttered.
"You don't think he's gonna go out looking for you, do you?" I asked her.
"No, of course not. His problem isn't with me exactly, it's with benders in general." She said in a reassuring tone.
I nodded and tried to compose myself. I guess I'm still rattled by this whole situation.
"Okay, well. Get home safe, please. Talk soon, yeah?" I smiled weakly.
"Of course." She said.
I waved at her briefly before making my way up to the attic.
I remembered the events of tonight and how I watched someone get their bending taken away.
I don't think there's a good chance that whole thing was just a few people acting...
That guy's reaction was definitely a hundred percent real.
My thoughts went back to when I was face-to-face with Amon.
That man makes little to no effort in making someone shit their pants with a single stare.
I chuckled to myself and made it back up to the attic where Bolin was enjoying two day old meat-buns on the couch while laying down on his back.
"It's so good to be home. I'm so happy!" He groaned with a mouthful of meat.
"I can tell." I laughed.
I remembered my electrified sticks in my hands and went to my room to hide them.
I just put them under my bed, since I wouldn't find a shoebox.
Now, if an intruder tries to come in and hurt us, I have my own weapons in case anything fails.
Bolin went straight to sleep after his dinner with Pabu sleeping comfortably on his stomach.
Mako and I weren't tired. We just sat on the windowsill and stared at the view of the city.
"I ran into Amon. Like literally, ran straight into him." I muttered.
I looked at him and watched as his face fell in disbelief.
"I was looking for you and I ran into him and fell. When I looked up, there he was. Staring into my soul like mad-man." I joked.
"He didn't hurt, you did he?" He asked.
"Nah. I don't think he gave me a second thought after I ran into him. But after watching him take away Zolt's bending, I was so scared to even be two feet away from that guy."
"Speaking of, how do you think he figured out how to do that? It's impossible. Especially for someone who can't bend and doesn't have family that can bend."
I looked at him and then out the window, trying I think of an answer.
"There's a type of bending where you can do that. Jinora told me about it. It's called energybending." I answered, looking back at him.
"Jinora? The ten year old? What does she know about something as ancient as that?" He chuckled.
"Trust me, she's smarter than she looks. Anyways, she told me that energybending is the ability to bend another person's life energy. Avatar Aang used it to end the hundred year war by taking away Fire Lord Ozai's bending."
"Right. So, you think Amon used energybending? Wouldn't you need to be a bender to do that?"
"Exactly. And also, if he wasn't actually a vendor, where the hell would he have learned to energybend?"
"He did say the spirits supposedly gave him that power."
"Bullshit." I said dismissively.
We stayed quiet for another moment. I rubbed my face slowly and ran my hands through my hair.
"I'm exhausted. We should go to sleep." I heard him mutter.
"Right." I muttered back, giving the city one more glance before I went to my room and collapsed on my bed, not bothering to get a blanket out.
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