Chapter 127. The State.
Patola Mountains. Yo and Aang.
About an hour had passed since we began our flight. Appa, now fully energized, showcased his mastery of the skies. Honestly, watching the seemingly rough and simple movements of the bison, I began to understand those cultivators who create their own powerful techniques just by observing how a Divine Qilin takes flight. Unintentionally, I even forgot about the sullen Aang, who was simply staring ahead.
"Aang," I called to him. "Why don't you help your friend pick up some speed?" It seemed I'd piqued his interest, as one of his large ears twitched curiously.
"We're already flying fast," he replied, and shifting his attention to something else proved easier than I thought.
"What do you do to achieve high running speeds?" I began offering some hints.
"I use the wind to help myself," he answered immediately, flashing a triumphant smile, as if he'd won a prize for the right answer.
"But how exactly do you help yourself?" I asked another leading question. Just say you reduce air resistance! This time, he looked seriously puzzled, but...
"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I just feel the wind, and it tells me what to do, I guess."
From our conversation, I realized there was very little theory in their Air Temple teachings. All their skills and abilities were learned through games and friendly competitions. On one hand, as a staunch advocate for balancing theory and practice, I found their methods inefficient. On the other hand, Aang's demonstrated mastery forced me to be less judgmental. I could clearly feel that Aang truly "hears" the wind. I had to fall into a deep chasm in the Spirit World to achieve that. So, there are pros and cons to both approaches.
"Wait, wait," he waved his hands. "If you're saying no one else but me survived... then where did you come from? Huh?" It was only now sinking in for him.
Looking at his face, now filled with relieved smiles, I understood why he was so worked up. Most likely, he'd latched onto my existence as proof that there were other airbenders.