Chapter 48

Iroh stared at Chen with wide opened eyes after he declared his intent.

"At first, I thought you were crazy when you mentioned fusing with a spirit," Iroh said. "However, you are willing to save the world…"

Iroh was speechless. He stared at the young man.

He wasn't greedy for power.

He was just a young man, who realised that the Avatar is lacking, and wanted to stop the end of the world, and he was willing to risk his life to get that done. Iroh didn't tell Chen. But trying to fuse with a spirit was almost impossible. He won't live. But the young man looked assured.

'Such a good man, willing to risk his life to save the world. Instead of leaving it to fate, he's willing to risk his fate.'

Iroh lifted his head. Chen was emitting negative energy from himself. The clouds were enough proof of that. He didn't know why, but the young man must be burdened with saving the world.

Iroh couldn't send Chen to a spirit that would fuse with him.

It would be the same as killing him.

For that, it would be wise to send him to a powerful and very arrogant spirit.

-x-X-x-

Chen narrowed his eyebrow. He couldn't understand Iroh's gaze at him. It didn't convey any emotion Chen was familiar with.

"Hahaha." Iroh laughed. "Did anyone tell you that you are crazy, my friend?"

"No." Chen shook his head.

"Anyway. I seem to recall a spirit, old and powerful."

"What kind of spirits?" Chen asked.

Iroh was finally going to give useful information. Chen felt anxious as Iroh took the teacup and sipped, wasting time.

Placing the teacup on the table again, Iroh said. "The most ancient dragon spirit. A spirit that existed for too long. In fact, you can say that many spirits fused with each other, creating that one. It existed for so long.

"Chen, do you know what's the best way to solve your problems?"

Resisting his urge to cringe as he knew what Iroh would say, Chen, exhaled a sigh and replied.

"Helping someone else's solving their trouble."

What bullshit. Chen didn't believe that at all.

Solving someone's troubles would only lead you to be used — or get stabbed in the back.

But he smiled very warmly at Iroh. it was just a fake smile.

He couldn't wait to get back to the yacht with his fiancee and relax.

"Why don't you drop the act, Chen," Iroh said, shaking his head and sighing. "You said you are the lonely type of man. Someone like you wouldn't believe something like that. At best, you became a loner because of the type of life you had lived. No one chooses to be a loner."

"Well, if it came from an old wise man like you, I thought I should give it a try," Chen said. "This world may be different."

He'd to admit. This Iroh was good to see through him.

Chen felt thankful that he no longer had to fake that smile.

Iroh walked to a near house, which was on their left. He entered. When he got out, he had a pot in his hand. When he opened it, Chen saw a small spirit inside.

"This is a newborn spirit. Help it find its nest, and it will help you." Iroh held it gently and put it in Chen's hands.

Chen held it. He slightly nodded.

If he remembered correctly, something similar happened with Korra in the canon. This small dragon would fuse with other small dragons, creating a large one.

Could it be possible they could still fuse even if they were big?

In that case, wouldn't that cause in creation of a very powerful dragon — it could be what Iroh just mentioned 'the most ancient dragon'

He stood up, and he slightly bowed to Iroh. "I thank you. Now, if you excuse me, I have to help this little guy."

"Chen, I have one last warning."

"Yes."

"The spirits of light and dark are the strongest. Even if you made it, I can assure you that no spirit is as strong as Vaatu or Raava. Light and Dark are endless. Even the most evolved spirit can't reach them."

"Evolving is endless too," Chen said, giving his back to Iroh. He placed the small dragon on his shoulder, and he turned to it. "We are going to find your home body, and then you will help me find someone."

The small dragon nodded. It looked tired. It wrapped its body around Chen's neck and closed its eyes, sleeping.

Iroh put his hands behind his back and smiled. He seemed to wait for Chen to go to the near mountains and climb them.

Chen smirked. His Chi wrapping his body, he controlled. By moving the energy that surrounded his body, he could move his body with a thought. It was what the latest level of Chi control allowed him to do.

Chen started floating in the air.

He tried to move his body, but he found out that he could barely push himself and keep his balance.

He needed the practice to fly.

Anyway, there is a trick. He pointed with his feet behind him while floating. A jet fire appeared beneath them, pushing him flying.

In no time, he was above a mountain range. He saw a nest on one peak, and he could immediately tell it was where the little dragon came from.

The fire stopped pushing him, and Chen used his Chi to balance himself. While flying, he realised that the Chi consumption got less. He'd used a beam against that spirit, and it didn't consume as much energy as it did in the past. Approaching the nest floating, Chen saw three small dragons, similar to the little one around his neck.

Once he landed on his foot, he tapped the dragon's head. It was sleeping, and he needed to wake it up.

"Wake up little buddy."

The little dragon blinked a few times, before yawning. It looked annoyed at first. But after it saw its siblings in the nest, he jumped happily to them.

Chen then witnessed something phenomenal that didn't make sense at all.

The four little dragons started fusing, turning into energy.

Knowing best not to stay near them, Chen took a step back.

A large dragon emerged from the next, its head was as big as Chen's whole body. It flew happily in the air, before slowly turning toward Chen and stopping next to him. He patted the animal, knowing that it didn't have any ill intentions toward him.

"Now, would you like to help me and show me your ancestor?" He said. Somehow, that line sounded like a cheap Wuxia novel line.

The dragon nodded and lowered its head. Chen jumped and landed on it. The dragon then flew in one direction.

-x-X-x-

The trip was good, Chen had to admit. He crossed the way with many spirits, of different sizes. There were some sparrows, some phoenixes, and some animals with masked heads. There were even demons on the ground. The spirit realm was very big. Chen stared down, and he saw a large region covered in fog.

If he recalled correctly, it should be the fog of the lost souls, which was a spirit on its own.

After reaching its end, the dragon floated above a very high peak, reaching its end.

On the way, Chen saw some other dragons of different colours and shapes.

The one he was at, let's call him Goldie, was the smallest among them.

"Let me guess, you guys find your wives here and fuse with them," Chen asked the spirit.

It nodded, showing its intelligence.

"Yeah, but instead of bringing babies, you become one. Or do you leave eggs when you fuse? And in that case, the fused dragon would it be male or female…"

Goldie groaned as though Chen was asking too many questions.

"A new little one, and he brought a human above that." Said a deep voice. "Human here, that's odd. I've heard about this kind from the spirits that went to that world, but it's my first time seeing one."

Chen narrowed his eyebrows, looking left and right at the screaming voice.

But then he realised he was looking in the wrong direction. He lifted his head, and he realised that there was another peak.

There was another dragon, blue, with a moustache. Its body extended all of the ways to the mountain's base, which was around 8 kilometres. Chen looked like an ant compared to it. But don't let the size fool you. Many spirits can appear to be big or grow bigger. But their strength doesn't change. Besides, according to Iroh, this one wasn't as strong as the light and dark spirits, but it's strength worth taking him.

"Hey. I just came to look for you." Chen said. He started thinking of this dragon can fit inside of him.

"Look for me?" the dragon muttered. "Is he trying to insult me or what? This little creature come to seek me. Even if he's joking, it's a bad joke, which deserves to be punished."7

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