Korra didn’t remember how long she knelt there on the cold earth, Kael’s burning body draped in her arms. Everything else, the festivals, the laughter, the music, felt impossibly far away. As if the world had drifted away from her, leaving her alone with the terrifying rise and fall of Kael’s uneven breath.

“Kael… Kael, wake up,” she whispered, her fingers trembling where they gripped his shoulders. Her voice cracked. “Please. I’m here, just open your eyes.”

He didn’t. ...