11.Growth
As a master, I have my voice at these kinds of conferences where the future steps and the life of the entire tribe are discussed. Being the son of the current Leader, I already had some advantages. Of course, I'm not allowed another vote, but I would have had some weight without my skill.
However, it is so boring to sit at such meetings. In fact, nothing serious is happening in the life of the capital. There are individuals who are responsible for supplies, catch, check the suitability of structures – they mostly report at these meetings... The rest were just wiping their pants.
I had to look interested and try not to fall asleep. My efforts did not go unnoticed, but honestly there were those who actually snored – still, most people at these gatherings are already very, very old. By the way, this circumstance speaks best of a quiet time, since in the case of turbulent times, only one "young man" sat at such meetings, because the old men were eager to fight first in order to save more fresh blood.
Little by little, I tried to probe the ground, about allowing both sexes to engage in those areas of magic that they want to study themselves. Quite often I saw young guys who simply did not fit the intense combat part of magic by their nature. I think they would have become good healers.
Sometimes at night I found girls who tried to practice water magic on their own scrolls, but if they had been given good training, we would have received a worthy replacement for the current masters. Such people are motivated through the roof, just do what you direct, then they will come to the top themselves. I don't want to judge strictly, maybe I don't understand something else, but it seems to me... the system that was invented a long time ago simply does not allow such people to flourish.
It's not as bad as I thought. The chief, the head of the Healing Huts, the faithful supporters of the father and a small part of the masters agree in principle with my thoughts. Only even this number of people is not enough to fully change the old foundations that were created by our ancestors. After all, the latter are very respected here and their decisions are looked at with pink glasses, supposedly they knew exactly how to live and what to do.
There are some neutrals who just like to watch the course of political games. The biggest headache is the ardent traditionalists led by... Pakku!
Well, think about it, the bride you loved so much left you... Okay, she did it right before the wedding... Well, she didn't just leave you, but ran away to the other side of the world...
Now, because Kanna, the grandmother of Sokka and Katara, has run away, Pakku is really obsessed with traditions. He's a sensible guy, he always cares about his tribe, he often saw him playing with the kids, showing them spectacular techniques from water magic. Even at my past antics, he looked more with a kind of good-naturedly condescending look, not much offended by my words.
It is necessary to be able to somehow influence either neutrals or radicals. Only by keeping more than seventy-five percent of the votes on my side will I be able to move forward in my endeavors. Will they be useful? Time will tell. However, some customs definitely need to be eliminated.
For example, some weddings are arranged without the consent of the bride and groom – they should not go against the decision of the parents who have already agreed on the marriage. The first example that comes to mind is Kanna, the second one can be called Yui, who, in theory, could not have married the man that imposed the tribe on her, but as we saw in the series, she was kind and compassionate, which is why she put the Water Tribe above her personal desires.
Let them just try to pull their hands towards Yui, I'll pull my eye to one place right away. This problem should also be solved gradually.
***
After my victory, I began to spend most of my time with other water masters. It was then that I felt the difference between the fights that I spent with my mother and the magicians who really live by development of their element. However, it is worth saying that June, who does not have a normal mentor in training and enough time to practice techniques, can definitely shut up weak masters.
Master Izamu, who decided to take a rematch, was the first to challenge me to a fight. The first victory this time was his. From one battle with me, he had already roughly determined my tactics of fighting, and this time, taking into account my strengths, he systematically searched for my weaknesses and put pressure on them. According to him, there were very few of them. I really lack the experience of facing magicians... other aspects of combat, like fantasy, arsenal of techniques, power of magic and control are all at a good level.
Yes, it's worth honestly admitting that my victory in the arena is, by and large, a clear adherence to a pre–thought-out plan. I've been watching all the masters for a whole year. For their fighting style. I was looking for their weaknesses and strengths.
I did not choose Master Izama by chance either. He often fights his battles at long distances without approaching himself. By the same feature, he gave me time so that I could saturate the ice with my energy.
The first month I lost more often than I won, but... already in the second month, only real monsters left me without damage, which for some reason looked like such kind grandfathers.
The first fights with them really put me in some dissonance. In peaceful life, they can walk with a cane, holding their weak back with their hand, but as soon as the battle begins, all weakness disappears somewhere. They jump across the field like saigas, it is dangerous to approach some even at close range, purely due to hand-to-hand combat you will be tied in a sea knot.
I often challenged Master Pakka to battle. It's just that he really infuriated me with his mutton stubbornness, so at least I dropped my anger in intense battles with him. Noticing that in our sparring sessions I strongly succumb to my emotions, he came up to me to ask what the reason was, and even offered his help in solving problems. Here's a really good guy, but his hacks are not very good...
Yes, I didn't even find so many new ways to simply manipulate water in the scrolls. Different tactics, all kinds of methods to improve skill and control. And all this is documented carelessly! I raised this issue at the meeting – the go-ahead was given to allocate notebooks for me to write down everything useful, just in case.
But if these records appear on the shelves of the library, they will immediately be able to be read by healer magicians who work in secret. The big problem with the scrolls in the library is that they mostly contain ready–made racks for techniques and more complex things - it is precisely the methods of developing control for performing these techniques that are not there. Our brave girls have to jump over their heads to simply master what is told in the scrolls.
At the same time, I went to study healing magic. There is no ban on men mastering healing magic, but signing up for them, they will start looking at you askance and consider you a weakling behind your back. In my case, it is very traumatic to say something to the master of water.
My mentor on this path was Yugoda, who was previously a close friend of Kanna. She was also checking out what I already know.
– You know the theory perfectly well, you even said something new to me, – Yugoda said with a soft smile when she finished checking my competence. - I recently heard your words about the empowerment of the women of the tribe. A very good undertaking, you should have been born earlier, when many girls went to the outside world, just not to marry an unloved person, –her smile became bitter, and her eyes unfocused, as if she was remembering something far away and forgotten.
– All right, – she said when she came to her senses. - Let's start with increasing difficulty! First of all, we will learn how to treat animals: for a start, a simple fish will do, then we will have to deal with rodents and only then, under my supervision, we will treat a person with a slight external injury. Once we have built a solid foundation, it will be possible to proceed with medium and severe cases.
– I've only trained young girls before, but I've never had to train a whole water master, – she said with a laugh. - I hope you're definitely used to blood? It is very difficult at my age to take care of students who can faint several times a day.
My studies began with such an unusual, one might even say, monologue. At first, I tried to feel my life energy. This process would have taken quite a long time if I hadn't started preparing for the opening of the chakras. The chakras are just the same energy centers – the main gateways through which vital energy passes.
It is not too difficult to find its flow in your body, but to direct at least a drop of vital energy into the water, at one time it seemed unrealistic for me at all. Very heavy energy. At first, I learned to drive her around my body, and only after a couple of weeks I was able to bring it out of my body, but... as soon as it came out, it's immediately dissipated.
Having learned how to channel our qi into the water, we began practical training. May all the animals forgive me, which I have exhausted for the sake of my own progress. The first fish just exploded into pieces. I must say right away, I didn't want this! Yes, I was shocked myself! So I was trying to close the cut on the poor fish like... boom! And her head is already flying to "kiss" my head... I walked around with a bump on my forehead for another week, thereby making people laugh. And the bones of the local animals are very strong, as, in general, the whole body. The world is magical.
Yugoda, it turns out, has always conducted such a kind of entrance test in order to show that your inattention is worth someone's life. No, I assumed that everything was not so simple in healing, but how naive I was. It is not enough to simply direct qi into the water and move your hand over the wound. First, without injecting your qi into the victim, you need to adjust your vital energy "closer" to your patient. Everyone has their own qi, and in order not to kill, but to cure, you need to be able to intuitively adjust your energy. This is what happened to my first victim, I poured my qi into it, which was a priori hostile to the fish. So, seeing no way out, she came into conflict with the vital energy of the fish, which eventually caused an explosion.
Next, I have to program the adjusted qi for treatment, as it were. Novice healers say words about healing to themselves – small mantras for a better mood. Therefore, it is easier to close external injuries by seeing it with your own eyes – you just have to sincerely believe that it is closing. In case of internal injuries, water with properly tuned qi, which is correctly programmed, will try to find deviations in the body itself, but this is much more energy-consuming.
Yes, having adjusted, for a whole year I was able to treat ordinary injuries without the supervision of a teacher, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many diseases that still cannot be cured, but it seems to me that they have not yet found the right approach. My goal is to comprehend the magic of healing, which will heal the terminally ill and stop aging or at least prolong life!
***
On one of the few days when my parents stay up late on their own business, I put Yui to bed. We had a conversation that was bound to happen sooner or later.
- Brother, why am I so different from my peers? – my sister asked, covered up to her neck with a fluffy blanket. – Hm-m, just don't joke anymore, I overheard my parents talking about how I was born.
- I thought that this conversation would take place much later, - my sister grows up too quickly in consciousness, I think it's worth revealing some secrets. - You were born very weak, you can even say that you would not have lived a day without a miracle. Desperate, I shared a piece of myself, maybe you remember how emotions appeared that helped you calm down?
- So it wasn't my imagination?! – she exclaimed much louder. - I thought it was just my imagination... Then why can't I feel your emotions like I did the first year?
- I thought that it would prevent you from developing yourself under my constant care. For my part, I have learned to block this channel, listen, – by opening the spiritual channel, I conveyed to my sister a feeling of love and care. - Do you feel it now? I've always been there for you, – I said, looking at her tenderly.
– I love you too, brother, – said the embarrassed girl. - Will you teach me the same thing? –she asked with delight, looking at me with her big eyes.
- Of course I will, but you don't tell anyone about it. Let this connection be our secret, – I said more seriously.
– So I'm so smart because you were smart too, – Yui said to her own approving nods of her head. - Now everything is clear to me, thanks for telling my brother.
– Well, something like that, – I said with a smile. - Okay, now it's time to go to sleep, good night.
– Sweet dreams, – Yui said in a sleepy voice.