Hollowstream Inn

"Whoa, slow down there," Korra said, holding up her hands with a playful grin. "You're talking about the Heart Crest, right? I could tell the moment you succeeded; all the soldiers stopped fighting. It was just like when you freed the Last Light Company!"

Her eyes shone with excitement as she spoke, gesturing animatedly with her hands. I opened my mouth, tears still brimming, but in the face of her joy, I closed it again. A part of me wanted to break down and sob on her shoulder, tell her how everything had gone wrong and how much it had hurt, how close I'd come to surrendering to the darkness. But I didn't.

I had finally proven I could stand on my own, and I didn't want to undo all that progress by seeking comfort now. Because, in the end, that's precisely what it would be. I wanted to show myself that I could overcome this trial without relying on anyone else, and if she knew about my ordeal, it would feel incomplete.