Avatar - Conquering the Elements

The transition to the intermediate level of waterbending happened effortlessly, even without my active involvement. While training underwater, which made it more effective, a visible wave of power suddenly surged from me. Rapidly expanding, it froze the already cold water.

This occurred roughly two weeks after my seventh birthday. At that point, my physical attributes had reached their peak for my body. I could already engage in hand-to-hand combat against hardened hunters who provided meat for the entire tribe in the tundra. I dread to imagine what I'll be capable of by the time I'm twenty.

The sources, which had previously seemed more ethereal, now felt as if they were solidifying. The chi flowing through my body had reached an entirely new level. My sensitivity to water increased from ten meters to a full fifty. I even began to sense some underground water sources beneath the city.

During the transition to the new rank, for just a few seconds, I perceived water on an entirely different level. At a distance, I felt the blood flowing in living people, their heartbeats, and in the air, I detected water particles that seemed to be forming into clouds. It was much like enlightenment, as if the element itself had shared its secrets with me. Afterward, I spent half an hour trying to reenter that enlightened state, but to no avail. It felt as though I'd been teased—shown something I desperately needed and then told, "Try harder; maybe one day you'll reach it."

"Awesome," I blurted out instinctively as I played with a cubic meter of water that took any form I desired at the slightest whim. I'd even say the water had become a part of me.

It seems Van Shi Tong was right: when advancing to a new rank, we have the opportunity to acquire another element. This became clear when the sense of fullness that had pursued me my entire conscious life vanished. In its place came a new feeling, one that carried a certain emptiness I wanted to fill. I need to find a way into the Spirit World soon to confirm exactly what other benefits I've gained from this new level.

In subsequent battles with waterbenders, my score never dropped. I even managed to fight to a draw against the elder waterbending masters, though it's worth noting that my enhanced water sensitivity allows me to determine the components of an attack even as it's being formed. It's as if the water itself whispers to me within a certain range about what will be used.

Another ability I discovered during practice is the power to compress water. Yes, I could do this before, but not on the scale I can now. I managed to compress several dozen tons of water—my current limit—into a few cubic centimeters, though holding it in that state was even more challenging. The first time I lost control, I launched it high into the air. Two seconds later, an explosion occurred in the sky, and the shockwave even shook the city slightly. I caused quite a panic and had to confess to what I'd done; otherwise, they'd have thought it was an attack and would've mobilized everyone. Of course, I was reprimanded, and now I'm only allowed to practice bending at a distance from the city.

I refined this ability by the end of the week. The result was a technique that could rival modern bombs even in the 21st century. Depending on the compression of the water, the bomb's power varies. For simplicity, I named them Bomb 1, Bomb 2, and Bomb 3. While Bomb 1 has a blast radius of about 100 meters, Bomb 3 extends to a full kilometer. Thankfully, I've only seen a similar ability in Avatar Aang during his final battle with Fire Lord Ozai.

Another defensive technique emerged from this new ability. By compressing water into a thin, transparent film, I can cover my entire body with it, like a second skin. But I'd call this skill a second life. This film is a hundred times stronger than even the protection of an earthbending shield. To test it, I had to involve all the masters. To truly convince them of its effectiveness, I decided to make adjustments: first, one master would attack, and if the defense withstood the damage, we'd add another master. The result was astonishing. The attacks of all the masters merely depleted my reserves; I didn't sustain a single injury. Now, I'm learning to maintain a minimum layer of the film on me at all times—who knows, it might save my life someday.

After demonstrating my level of mastery, people's attitudes toward me shifted. People I met in the city approached me to greet me, and children looked up to me as their idol. Even at gatherings, some individuals switched sides to support me, and there are others who will likely join me in the near future. I've even begun to forget that strength here determines so much. Kyoshi Island, lacking a large army and resources, remains independent solely because of the strength of Avatar Kyoshi. Bumi, who can essentially do whatever he wants in his city, faces no interference from the Dai Li because he's one of the strongest, if not the strongest, earthbenders. And there are many more examples like this.