Hey there, Skylinemaster here with a quick one-shot regarding the Red Lotus.

Just as a disclaimer, I don't own anything from Legend of Korra.

(Line Break)

Pain.

That's what P'Li would have felt. It happened too quickly though. Once the chi manifested itself and began its journey outwards, there was no stopping it.

The metal sleeve that covered her face, prevented the explosion from reaching very far. The explosion was violent, less than a foot from the exit source, her head.

The explosion was compressed, there was nowhere for all that built up chi to go. Unfortunately for her, her head was inside of that metal sleeve which would be her grave.

She didn't even feel a thing.

(Line Break)

Pain.

That is what Ming-Hua felt as over fifty thousand Amps raced through her body. Her entire body was in agonizing pain, her nerves were frying. The muscles in her body seized up as she felt the shock from all that Lightning he shot at the water.

Her heart pulsated wildly as she was violently thrown out of the water because of the explosion.

She didn't have time to question her life decisions as the Lightning raced out of her body, causing all of her internal organs to be cooked.

She should be glad that the shock render her unconscious as her internal organs failed.

(Line Break)

Pain.

Ghazan felt the agony, but it was nothing anymore. He was finally free, from it all. He would never go back, not to that place. He promised himself that, even if it meant dying.

He was born a free man, and would die a free man.

It was too hot, there was too much, and they've escaped.

He couldn't control all of the lava.

He failed, seeing his island of solid earth get smaller and smaller as he tried to turn the lava back to solid earth.

A splash of lava singed him, causing him to scream out.

There was ash in the little cave that would be his grave, and it was quickly making him cough.

Not like this, he wouldn't go down like this.

Ghazan let out a roar, jumping headfirst into the lava.

There was pain, immense pain, but there was the end of it.

Freedom.

(Line Break)

Pain.

That's what he felt every single day for the rest of his life.

He mourned their deaths.

Ming-Hua, the one he saved from the abuse of the Foggy Swamp Tribe. He saw potential that no one else could, and he was right.

Ghazan, his brother in arms. The one who saved Zaheer from certain torture at the hands of the Dai Li. The little soldier who said no and did the right thing.

And then there was her, P'Li. He saved her from the life of an assassin, and she became his everything. His friend, his ally, and most importantly, his lover.

And she would have been the mother of his child. She was pregnant at the time of her death.

The child Zaheer knew of would have been a girl.

He lost track of time in his chains. He wasn't sure of how long it was, since their deaths. He estimated it was over a hundred years since, but didn't have an exact number.

Every day, he felt his heart ache in pain due to what happened.

It was his fault, his fault that they died.

He smiled, coughing out a little blood. His body was falling him, he knew of it.

Guru Lagahima lived to 166, Guru Pathik lived to 187, Avatar Kyoshi lived to 230.

He knew that he wouldn't live long enough to reach those numbers.

There were regrets for what happened, but not what he did in his life.

Did he see Kuvira's tyranny when he killed the Earth Queen?

No, he couldn't see the future.

Does he wished it turned out differently? Of course.

Does he regret it? Some of it, of course.

Would he take it back?

That is the question he asked himself over and over.

Were his actions futile?

As far as he knows, there is still an Avatar, there are still rulers and leaders out outside of his prison.

Yes, he does wish it never happened.

Yet he knows he can never change what happened.

Those who seek to change the past will never see that the future is what they wish.

He couldn't join them. Their spirits are somewhere in the Spirit World, yet he could never find them. Call it a cruel twist of fate by the spirits.

He lives on, carrying their shame and suffering.

In the end, Zaheer suffered a thousand and one life times.

(Line Break)

Hope you liked that. Please leave a review telling me what you thought of this.

Until next time, Skylinemaster out.