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All life had some combination of mind, body, and spirit essences that made up their korra.
It was invisible to most, but I was one of the few who could see them, and I'd grown comfortable with the many combinations of essences creatures could have.
This, though … it seemed to be entirely made of soul essences! No wonder Jaiel couldn't see them. There was no physical form to see!
"I — I think it's the Guardian," I said, voice hoarse. "It's coming straight for us."
"Okay. Get ready." Jaiel dropped his weapon, voice tight. "It's going to examine you, but it should be over quickly. If something goes wrong, though —" He looked at me with concerned eyes. "Row toward the smoke signal yourself. If it gets dark and you still don't see it, go to Dragon's Peak. You can't miss it if you just follow the coast that way." He pointed east. "They can help you out."
My stomach flipped. "Wait, what? We should be fine since we have magic, right?"
He winced. "Theoretically, yes. But people change, and this thing is more capricious than the Fae. So, if I start to scream about burning from the inside —"
The swarm shifted and moved as one, an entity of thousands of unique essences forming a writhing, pulsing wall that drew ever closer.
"Are you listening to me?" Jaiel asked.
I forced my attention to him, and the meaning of his words hit like a freight train. "Did you say burning from the inside?"
"Saints!" he said, running his hand through his hair. "This is important, Kaiya. I need you to listen. If it happens, you must push me overboard. There's no stopping it, and if I'm on the boat, it'll burn with me."
"No stopping it," I repeated, mind spinning as I looked between Jaiel and the wall about to crash over us. "Burn with you …"
"It should be fine, though," he said, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "I just want you to be prepared."
I looked from him to the swarm, jaw agape. This was anything but fine.
Then the wall was over us, the swarm of red essences swirling and coalescing until my head spun with them.
A sharp pain sliced across my stomach, and I vaguely heard a scream as heat spread through my innards.
The chaos was overwhelming, blocking out all my other senses until darkness closed in, and they were all I felt.
"Outsiders …" The voices echoed in my head, a chorus of sounds, each unique, yet part of the same.
Voices? Neither Jaiel nor the reports mentioned voices.
"… Isle-bound …"
"A Weaver …"
The voices crushed me, and I pushed against them, trying to get some space in my mind to think.
"Stop!" I screamed, begging my thoughts to stay steady as my mind tore at the seams.
But the voices did not hear me.
"… to hurt or help …"
"… feel it? The darkness …"
"… not ready…"
"Out of time …"
I screamed at them again, but the cacophony grew and grew, overwhelming my senses until I couldn't breathe.
With it, the heat inside me expanded, spreading to my limbs and head until I wasn't sure whether I was screaming in my mind, my body, or both.
