3.The spirit of Knowledge
I had the idea of asking Wong to kill a higher dark one for me, but first go find one. Then it all comes down to protecting myself, because I will have to be next to him when killing, which will distract Wong from the battle. And from the stories of the baboon spirit, it became clear that the higher spirits are still storehouses of unpleasant surprises, they can finally bang if cornered. The main thing is that I did not want to endanger a reasonable person who helped me so much, without asking for anything in return.
During the battles, I was able to hone my mastery of the element of water, at a level unattainable by most among average spirits. My favorite three techniques showed themselves in all their glory. Now I can create them automatically.
I also decided to replenish my arsenal with something else new, and so there was a technique that I called: "cutting armor". The meaning of the technique is to create fast-moving streams of water that can both protect and cause damage when in contact with the enemy. At the moment, even for me it is too heavy to perform. To use it, I have to fully concentrate only on it. But all this overrides its killing power. In a battle with two weak medium spirits, the cutting armor simply cut them in just two seconds.
The biggest headache was the gradual and imperceptible changes in my mind. More and more often, I began to forcibly suppress various impulses to do something stupid and unusual for me, besides, it sometimes became harder to think.
Even Wong has already noticed my condition, but he doesn't know how to deal with it. The only thing he advised was to go to the library to the spirit of knowledge as soon as possible, it is rare when he does not know something, and he helps peaceful spirits without any problems.
Having decided not to play with time anymore, I said goodbye to a slightly sad Wong. Unfortunately, it is still unclear when we will be able to see each other again…
Thanking him for everything he had done for me, I went to fill the vessel with water, while Wong began to draw on the ground approximate places and signs that I must pass in order to get to the Wang Shi Tong library. According to him, the whole journey will take about a week. He was also eager to accompany me to that place, but peaceful spirits that trusted him hang in his care, and while he is gone, anything can happen.
I assured him that I would be careful along the way, and I would avoid fights. The main thing was not to run into strong spirits, but I will definitely can handle with average and lower ones.
After a firm handshake, I started on my way to the library.
Knowing that this place is so extraordinary and seeing everything with your own eyes are still different things. On my way, I met more than a hundred different spirits, after that number I just stopped counting them, it feels like there are spirits of everything in the world.
I had to go around some places in a big arc, because I really didn't want to meet the powerful dark spirits right now. I had to stay on the path all the time focused on my thoughts and actions, because if I did not crush the inappropriate impulses of my lower spirit nature, the result could be fatal. I can say that I was born only recently, so far I don't really want to die.
After about eight days, I finally reached the library. And the view just amazed me, I wish I could say so, but alas, the library was in the middle of the desert, and only the top of its tower was sticking out. As I continued walking towards building, I thought about giant owls and their love of burying libraries in the sand.
Inside, I was greeted by solid rows of books, as if going up and disappearing somewhere far away. That's what the spirit of knowledge means. Anyway, he's read them all, and if I want to usefully spend time solving my problem, I should go to him right away. I don't forget that time is working against me right now.
I was about to shout his name when the words stuck in my throat somewhere. I have the right. In less than a second, Wang Shi Tong himself was already standing in front. And when a hefty owl looks at you, in whose eyes there does not seem to be a drop of hostility, but at the same time you feel as if you have just been taken apart, examined and want to continue more in-depth research. I couldn't even move until he finished my analysis.
– It's been a long time since you otherworlders appeared in our world, – Wang Shi Tong finally said.
- Oh? – when it dawned on me exactly what he said, I was seriously so scared, but seeing that no action followed, and he still stood calmly and waited for my answer, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief,
- Greetings to the keeper of knowledge Wang Shi Tong, I have come to you to ask for help. My friend Wong advised me to visit you, – I said in one breath.
– Ah, it's that obnoxious Wong boy, – it was said even with some warmth, – Okay, enough with the formalities, I've already met creatures like you, and you all have the same curse or gift... As you see, follow me.
I continued to follow the spirit while Wang Shi Tong began to enlighten me about what was happening to me. As it turned out, they sometimes have spirits from other worlds, and I am the sixth such spirit in his memory, but he could only see three personally. The other two were not too peaceful, they began indiscriminately attacking other spirits, so they were killed by someone. He learned this much later from those whom they ran into.
According to his observation, our gift is to absorb the residual energy that spirits leave behind – we can safely assimilate them without harm to ourselves.
In addition to this, we have great compatibility with the absorbed element, of course, you can think of an immediately acquired source, but even with it, the development and understanding of the element goes very quickly. I couldn't disagree with this, Wong also said that simple spirits master what I have been inventing and embodying for decades.
The spirit of knowledge thinks that in theory, if I do not stop developing, then there is the possibility of obtaining even more elements. He called our incompatibility with the world itself a curse, and our origin is to blame. So I will not be able to break through above the lower spirit until I become "local" for the world.
After the research, the result was derived, according to which there is a tiny but real possibility of being accepted. It is worth going through my "rebirth", and this can only be done if I born in a more material world – on the plane of people. While I will be in the womb of my future mother, who is a "friend" and local person for the world of the Avatar, a certain process of binding me to the energy of the world will take place, or in another way - this can be called a kind of initialization. He also helped those spirits that came to him, hence so much confirmed information.
- Why did you help them so easily, and you don't refuse me? – I asked, puzzled. – On the contrary, I'm very happy about it, I'm just curious, – I quickly added.
– It's very simple, – he turned to me and looked at me with his piercing and wise eyes. – Being an ancient spirit, I can see a lot of things that are hidden in you, I can even tell you about things that you don't know yourself. And if you were a big threat to the world, it would certainly be able to remove you. Why do you think those two aggressive otherworlders appeared near the dark supreme's place of residence, which caused him to interrupt his sleep, if earlier he would not have paid attention to spirits below himself in rank... Too many coincidences, don't you think?
– I hope you're smart enough to put these facts together, – he flapped his wings and continued walking forward and talking. – The world has no consciousness in our understanding of the word – it thinks in other categories, but even so... He's the law here, so you can rest assured, if he wanted to, you wouldn't be talking to me right now.
– Another world is new knowledge, – Wang Shi Tong said with excitement. – For me you are an investment in the future, I hope as soon as possible you will be able to visit me in the world of people, with the books you have written about your world. It's not difficult, and you'll do my little request, won't you? – he finished, squinting at me.
I could only nod my head nervously a few times.
– That's good, – he said with satisfaction. – Ask questions if you have any...
– What happened to those three? Did they succeed? – it's interesting to understand how many chances I have.
First, it is worth telling how the process of sending spirits to the material plane takes place. To do this, I need to make some mandatory preparations.
The first thing is to learn how to strengthen my source. The next step is to send myconsciousness to one of the sources – this stage is the most important, because when I get into the world of people, mt energy will be consumed very quickly, and in order to reduce the rate of decay, I need to be able to minimize losses. Next, Wang Shi Tong will simply open a passage to another plane and send my body in search of a suitable newborn child.
This is where the real race with death begins. To be reborn in the world, there must be an embryo of a child who is strictly suitable for my energy, and who is also not yet occupied by another soul.
The world will not allow a body to be stolen that already has its own soul. And while I amsearching, my energy is being spent. In other words with its full consumption, I will simply dissolve and disappear.
So, I'll have to hope for my luck, especially since not so many benders are born in the world, for me this circle narrows even more – my energy is suitable for a water bender, the vessel should be a potential conqueror of this element. And now, as Wang Shi Tong knows, there are not too many of them, with the attack of the fire nations on the southern water tribe, they are born only in the northern water tribe, which still retained their territories.
Moreover, children themselves are not always born healthy – there are many diseases that can simply kill me at birth, when my soul will already be connected to the body, which will also finally finish me off.
It would be easier if I were a spirit of earth or fire, which is the majority of people in the world. But I have nothing to complain about, it's also good that the first one absorbed was not some rare spirit that has an element not of the four basic elements... Then I would definitely have to exist for the rest of my life as an inferior spirit.
People with mixed elements are rarely born among people – this can even be called an exception. By the standards of the old spirits, people are still children who have just set foot on the path of comprehending elements, so in the future we should still expect more people with "non-traditional" elements.
What about those three who were able to enter the human world?
The very first person, being a spirit of fire, was able to find a body for himself. But his fate was not happy. It was back in the era of human exploration of the new earth, when they had just set foot on a dangerous and unpredictable land without the protection of lion turtles.
Medicine, and the whole culture was only at the very beginning of its origin, there was a high mortality rate from various diseases – children were often stillborn. This is especially true for magicians of earth, fire and air, who did not have healers among their brethren who could heal with their magic. He also died of the disease, in the first week after birth.
The second spirit was not even given a chance to live for a few days and fight for his life. It took him too long to find a suitable vessel for birth – some time passed, and he simply "disappeared" into the world, leaving nothing behind.
– The luckiest one turned out to be the third spirit that was here relatively recently. If you can live in the human world, you will recognize it as the Chin the Conqueror or the Chin of the Great. Yes, he did Great Things, but I don't advise you to be like him, – Wang Shi Tong said in turn. – At first, when he was young, he already realized that he was the strongest earth benderamong his surroundings, being a spirit still gives a lot of advantages. But he was too arrogant, too vain, thinking that he was invincible, abandoned his development… As a result, he ran into a mountain that he could not overcome.
During the formation of the Chin, the kingdom of the Earth was severely fragmented, constantly howling regions and a weak king that could not provide peace to his people.
Then Chin took power into his own hands and began a victorious march throughout the kingdom, uniting it and turning it into a strong state. The last stronghold of the resistance was a small peninsula, where Avatar Kyoshi lived at that moment.
Being confident in his strength, he did not heed the words of the Avatar of that time, and... with such a mistake he paid his life. But at the same time, he left behind many innovations and a strong foundation for the state, which still, being not completely united, repels the people of fire.
Arriving in a room with only a few parchments on the table, the spirit stopped.
- Here is recorded the knowledge of how to strengthen and send your mind to the source. As soon as you can do them, call me. Now other things are waiting for me, – the spirit of knowledge said, pointing with his wing at the scrolls.
- Can I ask for other knowledge that interests me? – I asked quickly, before he left. – Of course, with your permission!
- In my library there is all the knowledge that has ever been in both realms! – He said with confidence. – Feel free to say what interests you.
- Then I would like to know about the chakras and how to open them, - I said with excitement, even when watching the animated series, when the Avatar was taught by Guru Patik, I thought that the series did not reveal much of the abilities bestowed by the opening of the chakras. And the Guru himself certainly did not have all the knowledge that the spirit of knowledge had. I hope I will find something useful in them for myself.
– A good choice, – Wang Shi Tong said with a note of approval. - I'll send my assistant with the necessary books. Alas, you shouldn't stay here any longer, it's better to finish reading and practicing as soon as possible – and we'll start your departure.
As soon as he left, I immediately started reading the scrolls. Everything was described in great detail. To strengthen, it is worth driving the energy inside the body along the directions described and drawn, and at first glance, everything does not look too hard.
There were more difficulties with sending consciousness to the source, since I have two sources. At first, it was worth bringing them as close to each other as possible. Next, I should try to send my consciousness into one of them, while not losing control of the other. If in the process of searching body, I will lose the thread of control over another, there is a danger of losing it when entering the vessel.
The practice of these skills dragged me on for a long time, I came to my senses only when I felt a few weak tremors. Looking down, I saw a small fox holding several books in its mouth.
Thanking the assistant Keeper of Knowledge – fox spirit, for the books she brought, I decided to take a peek at them. There was too much useful information in them, but it's worth trying to just remember all the material now, and start analyzing it when I become a human being. Now, being a spirit, I can't even test this knowledge.
A few hours later, I finished only the first book about the chakras – there are two more left, but the effectiveness of actions began to decline. After all, eight days without sleep and constant tension began to make it clear that it was worth a rest.
Today I managed to figure out how to properly strengthen the sources, which is already good. In two days, I think that I will manage to memorize books on chakras and complete the practice of sending consciousness to the source at a good level. And now it's better to go rest.