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For a moment, the moon vanished, and I strained to see into the dark sky above.

A loud crash sounded beside us, and the ground shook so hard I had to hold the bars to keep from falling back.

There!

Torchlight danced across shadow-formed skin, and the massive winged monster rose to its full height.

It turned its black eyes to us, and …

It looked so fucking angry.

I could almostfeelthe rage filling the monster, and at the center of it all was something almost … familiar?

Screams and whimpers sounded behind me.

"Hold on," I commanded, gripping the bars tighter, forcing myself not to move as the monster stalked towards us.

Its footsteps shook the ground, its massive leathery wings folded to its sides as it moved. Black shadowy smoke rose off it in tendrils, leaking from the holes and gashes littering its broken and burnt skin.

My chest tightened.

It was injured …

"Kaiya!" hissed the older woman behind me. "Get back!"

Hands tugged at me, but I brushed them off.

"If you have the chance to run, take it!" I hissed. "You have fulfilled your end of the bargain, and it's up to Frexin to capture it now."

The creature reached the cage, clawed hands crunching the iron above me. Once more, those dark eyes found mine, and I froze —

There was something about it — something I needed to —

The metal groaned and broke, and I fell back as the door flew open.

Screams sounded behind me as the monster reached for me, tendrils twisting and writhing as they extended from that massive arm to surround me.

They wrapped me in their inky darkness, and everywhere they touched, I was struck by a bone-deep chill, icy and sharp.

"No, Kaiya!" screamed the widow.

It was … going to be okay.

Hungry darkness engulfed my korra, biting and licking at the vile corruption covering me — consuming me.

I gasped and opened my eyes. Colors began to seep back into view — torches becoming red-orange — moons returning to their pale blue and red.

The monster was … saving me?

A dozen loud cracks filled the air all at once, and the shadow monster dropped me and staggered back, harpoons spearing through it on all sides!

"No!" I cried.

Through the collar, I could feel its pain as the monsterstumbled forward, grabbing the twisted metal for support as it let out an eerie, screeching roar.

The sound speared straight to my soul …

Another volley of harpoons struck it, and it dropped to one knee, face now level with me through the iron bars.