New generation benders

Herkio didn't understand what was happening. He was tiny, like he had been when he was eight years old. He had always been small as a child, well until he had started to use his waterbending more and trained. "Why am I a child? What's happening?!" he asked, not really scared but confused. And where was Ela? And where was he? It looked like some kind of forest, everything was foggy and he could see shadows everywhere. ANd now when he looked he could see he wasn't alone. A lot of 'people' where around him, or it wasn't even people. Even he understood it was spirits.

And just then, his spirit stepped out in front of him. He was huge, or well he looked like Herkio normally did, but darker with a horrible grin on his face. "You have no power her little boy. I'm the stronger one here!" the spirit laughed and Herkio stumbled backwards. "No! You can't harm me! This will go away!". He quickly got up and the spirit came closer to him. "In this world I'm the real Herkio, you're just my shadow, a weak one" the spirit laughed and reached out to grab Herkio, but he quickly turned away and started running. "No...no" yelled as he ran, he didn't want this. He just wanted to find Ela.

He didn't know for how long he was running, all he knew was that the spirit was just right behind him, he couldn't outrun him forever. But then, he saw her. Ela. Everything else seemed to disappear from his mind for a moment as he ran to her, through the spirits. "Ela!" he hugged her, both of them where small and childlike. "Ela I'm so happy I found you" he mumbled and looked up at his psirit with dark eyes. "You will go away, you can¨'t harm me" he repeated.

Ela got even more scared, confused... who? Why? Ela saw the spirit and knew her hiding place was no more. This boy... whoever he was seemed confident in himself though. Nonetheless...
"Wow, you seem to be very sure of yourself." Laughed a booming voice as Ela heard the heavy steps come closer. No... no, her hiding place. Ela got up and didn't care for the confident stranger anymore as she ran away again. Not even bothering to look back, she had to get out... but where? No, she had forgotten. That's what the spiritworld does... people who get lost... what happened to them? What was her name? She knew her name. She was far too busy with running to remember though.

"We have the parasite and his prey, skulking in the spirit-world, an avatar with no powers dining with dead women and a soon-to-be lost little girl running straight back to me." The female spirit chuckled as she had stopped by Herkio and his parasite, for that is what she had decided that the spirit was. He had come to feed and that is probably why he stayed, what a joy. What a sight for sore eyes. She shook her head and her long reddish brown her fell like a waterfall down her shoulders. Only in the sprit-world could you see her beauty and power combined. She was surely perfection, wasn't she? If not her eyes had been as empty as the void and missing any sign of anything white you might've believed she was amongst the human kin. However she was but a forgotten soul who would take the place of the Avatar even if she had to kill everyone to get there. "Don't run after her boy, something tells me you'd rather not get lost. And you, scurry off already, you'll gain nothing from feeding of your inferior anyway." She first looked at Herkio and then at the spirit and avoided using names. Because once your name is forgotten what do you really have left?

Herkio looked at her and saw how confused and scared she was. "Ela?" he asked again before she started running. Didn't she recongnize him? Surerly he was small but he hadn't changed that much, had he? He looked after her, now scared as well. he was all alone!
He then heard her spirits voice and shivers went down his spine even if the words weren't aimed at him, but at Ela. "Leave her alone!". But of course it didn't listen at him. The other spirits just came closer, making him smaller and smaller with fear. He was just a little child here, he didn't even have his bending, what could he do? Nothing...He was totally useless here.

He heard the voice again and his spirit laughed as he saw Herkio almost break down, falling to his knees and shaking. He came closer and closer, almost touching him with his cold pale hands. Even if his spririt was much colder and paler, he looked so much more confident and alive than Herkio himself. His eyes were deep blue, but still with a tone of darkness that made them totally different. Herkio looked up at Ela's spirit slowly. She was beautiful, but it wasn't Ela...
"Ela..." he mumbled again as he heard her say to not run after Ela. He needed to get to her...But he couldn't move. He fell down to his knees, shaking more violently as he felt the spirit stand over him, ignoring Ela's spirits words. "That's right Herkio, you're useless here, you can't even help the girl you love, you just hurt her..." he said in an almost singing voice as his hands moved over his back, shoulders and head. Herkio now fell down to the ground completly and brought his knees up to his chest and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see it anymore, he just wanted to go home. "Ela!" he screamed out one last time before he just tried to shut everything out.

"My, my, you're friends are in trouble, dear." The stranger told him and put down her cup with a smile on her lips. "Stay here with Korra, I'll go get him." She continued and rose from the small chair. Korra poured another cup of tea for Bipin who simply followed. He wasn't sure what to ask Korra about, but still he rambled. He had forgotten why he was here. He did not know who the woman was... he was pretty sure was a stranger though.

Ela stopped, panting and gasping for air. She fell to her knees and tried to figure out what she had forgotten. Who was she? What was she doing here? Who was that boy? Why couldn't she remember anything? She had reached a field, why was there a field?

"What are you up to?" The kind voice was unsettling for the empty void that was the tormentor of Ela. This woman had been sacrificed and still somehow kept tugging and pulling as if she was holding on to a rope. Of course, the kind woman was spiritually talented and it would have been a joy to feed on her until finish. However that courtesy had not been shown.
"Dear, could you come with me please? I think we should go get my daughter." The woman had reached the group of three and reached out a hand towards Herkio. She was practically a beacon compared to the two other spirits. A sign of hope and disgustingly nice and fluffy things.
"What are you planning now, witch?" The female spirit snorted and the woman turned to her with a beaming smile.
"I'd like for them to get out while they can, is that too much to ask?" The woman turned away and towards Herkio again. Disgusting.

Herkio had never experienced anything like it, and how it felt like now it felt like he would never get out from it. Would he stay here forever? And now when he thought about it...What was here? How long had he been here? It was quite scary and he began panicking more and more, but also tried to shut out his feeling and everything around him so he didn't have to suffer anymore.
Suddenly he heard a voice that was much nicer and softer than the other and slowly looked up. A woman, full of light and hope had reached out his hand towards him. He qas quick to grab it. "Please, just get me out from here" he begged with tears running down his cheeks.
He managed to get up with help from the woman and before he knew anything else they were away from the spirits. He couldn't see them. He relaxed a bit, calming down more and soon they reached a field, and in the beginning of the field he saw....Ela.

"Ela!" he shouted again as they made their way towards her. "Please wait! Don't run!".

"J-just leave me alone, I don't know you." She said... who... she knew him, recognized him. She doesn't know how, or from where but she... she does know him. "W-wait... I... I do know you." She said as some sort of apology. Why was she apologizing.
"You go on, child. She knows who you are." The weird light woman said to the boy. Somewhat reasurring. Perhaps he didn't need it. The woman wasn't scary but... she was still scared of them both. She doesn't know who they are. Well... she does... but not.

Herkio still felt terrified, but the woman somewhat comforted him. She was so light and seemed nice, she could perhaps help him and Ela out from here. If not he felt like he would go insane in here. Where was he even? He looked at Ela with beggin eyes. "Please Ela, remember me, It's Herkio...You know. We have travelled together for a while now". He tried to make her remember and got closer to her, finally falling down on his knees with her. He didn't dare to hug her now, in case she would get scared and run away again.

"I..." She tilted her head. Ela... Herkio... she knew those names. Herkio... was... Then there were Bipin... and... and Ryuu and Ikal... there were a lot of people. She knew them! She knew all of those name. Her eyes lit up like someone just turned on a lightbulb. She suddenly... well attacked was the right word. She threw herself over him, arms around his neck. "Herkio!" Ela said happily and the light spirit laughed softly at this sudden outburst of joy.

Herkio bit his lip slightly as she tilted her head and looked confused. Atleast she wasn't running away from him again. He could probably get to her again but it would take too much time to just run around. Suddenly she lit up and he smiled a bit, his hopes starting to build. And suddenly again she threw herself at him. He almost fell to the ground and hugged her hard back. "Oh Ela!" he laughed, happy that she finally seemed to remember. He hugged her for a good while before finally putting him down. "Have you any idea what is happening? Or why we look like this?".

"Where... in the spiritworld... and..." Ela looked down on herself.
"Because you felt vunerable and weak, like they wanted. Like you were children." The calm spirit said and smiled at them. She looked so happy, so tranquil and light. She knew her, she didn't know from where.
"But you're strong and impregnable, you'd better remember than." She smiled at them. She sounded almost scolding though. "Are you going to the South Pole on your travels?" She asked calmly.