Chapter 144
Northern Water Tribe. Spirit Oasis. Yuki.
"My head will ache for a few more days," I grimaced slightly, gently massaging my temples. Though I knew it wouldn't ease the pulsing pain—it wasn't my physical body or even my energy that hurt, but something deeper.
Using my hands for support, my naked body slowly emerged from the company of the ancient spirits of the Moon and Ocean. Nearly a week had passed since I'd slightly displaced Tui and La in their pond. For almost two years, I'd been spending half my time here. There's a reason for all this. As I'd suspected, killing and absorbing dark spirits hadn't helped me surpass my current level. So, once again, I'd turned to the spirits for help.
Every month, for a week or two, I "cultivate" with these super-ancient fish. Our first full union sent me into a two-day coma...
I suppose it was to be expected. My body and soul simply weren't ready to grasp the concepts the spirits used to communicate. Other challenges followed. It wasn't an easy power boost from more powerful spirits. No, I was overjoyed just to catch a fragment of "understanding," not information. Of course, over time, I managed to "absorb" more and more useful things. But it's all just fuel to help me break through—the real step forward has to come from me.
During our triple union, our thoughts and desires seep outward. That's when I realized how dull their existence must be. Sometimes, I catch glimpses of their past.
From those glimpses, I learned that millennia ago, they took human form to teach the future Water Tribe mastery. Appearing as a white-haired woman, so like Yui, and a swarthy, mature man, they began teaching people water magic. Pure curiosity drove them—what could other beings achieve with their element? After some time, they saw unexpected results. Human imagination helped them push their own development a little further.
A human's lifespan is short, as is their memory. When the spirits grew tired of living among people, they transformed into fish. For a while, people remembered their benefactors. But time passed, and the carriers of this knowledge dwindled. After a few generations, everyone forgot the distant past, though reverence for the spirits remained. Maybe they forgot the exact forms the spirits took. But one fact remained: Tui and La had given them knowledge of magic.
Glancing at the spirits still swimming peacefully, I felt a twinge of sorrow for their difficult fate. Even more, I'm haunted by the fact that I'm destined for the same... Through their thoughts, I understood they've long been stuck against an invisible "wall." The laws of the world deny the rise of other Great Spirits equal to Raava and Vaatu.
At the top of a pyramid-like hierarchy are the elements of light, harmony (order), darkness, and chaos. Below them are the four primary elements. For example, fire will never surpass darkness... I think if it were otherwise, the world would "break," since this universe is built on the struggle between Raava's and Vaatu's energies. Alongside the primary quartet are elements like fear, knowledge, and others that, in terms of "significance," rival fire, earth, water, and air. There's also life energy, but it stands apart, uncategorized. Maybe I don't know everything yet, but for now, I'll stick to this theory.
"I'll think about it later—I just need to reach the ancient level in the next few years..."