Chapter 363: Awakened Bond
The Ice Spirit and I stared at each other for what felt like forever, though, in reality, it must have been closer to the space of a single heartbeat. Its soul was unlike I’d anything I’d ever witnessed before. It was an assimilation of infernal mana and demon essence, and yet strangely similar to my own. I could feel its presence as close as Fable, a pulsing warm bond nestled within my soul. It didn’t seem to have clear, distinct emotions, not like Fable did, but I could feel a faint sense of pride and satisfaction, as well as...joy?
"I need your help," I said softly, looking up into its icy blue eyes. "Please, I need to get to my friends in the canyon. There is someone who can help Sari, but we don’t have much time. She’s dying..."
"I obey."
With that assertion, the serpent shattered into millions of shards of ice. My tail stiffened in shock, but before I could cry out, the shards dissipated into snow, joining the fury of the storm still raging throughout the city. A dozen explosions rang out through the city as the massive coils effectively vanished, letting the attacks of the church’s army fall among the buildings of the city.
"What the hell...?" Korra began, her mouth hanging open. "Where’d it go?"
"I’m a spirit, child of water. We have no form. I simply take the form of the Ice Demon because it feels...right," the elemental’s voice resonated behind us, and we both whirled to find a tall, handsome man covered in full plate armor standing with a faint smile. He was the picture of the Ice Spirit that answered my call in Bluerock City, down to the translucent and crystalline form.
"I-I see," Korra responded, staring at it with shock equal to my own.
In this small and condensed form, the power and majesty of a ninth-level being were all the more apparent. I expected a snake the size of a castle to be overwhelming, but when faced with a creature only a foot taller than me, its presence was stifling. The spirit was considerate and hadn’t even released its aura, and yet I struggled to breathe, my tail quivering at its presence.
"If you’ll allow me, Star Mother?" It asked, reaching for the child I still clutched in my lap.