Wang Shi Tong

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- We've arrived, you can get off me now," the vixen informed me after another jump.

Looking around, I realise that I am now in a room and not in the middle of the night sky. After riding the spirit, I felt slightly dizzy. The aftermath of fox jumping over deserted hills. But I think I'm all right on the whole.

- Huh? Yes. Indeed, it's still at least a few hours before dawn, amazing speed comparable to teleportation. You're full of talent," I replied confusedly to the spirit, getting off her.

Once I was sure of that, I began to look around the place where I found myself. It was a room at the top of a tower. There was a window in each of the six walls, behind which I could see the desert sands. In the centre was a large slope downwards, like an ornate trapdoor or even a drain, without any hint of a staircase. But there were lots of beautiful tiles with exquisite carvings. Quickly we jumped to the library. I didn't even notice how much time had flown by, but how long had it been? No one was in any hurry to give me an answer.

Holding my bag tightly, I kept looking round. It was too surprising what was happening. Even for me, who is a spirit myself and has not once encountered things inexplicable by simple logic. Once I was sure there was no danger, I let myself relax and lowered my burden to the floor. Despite the quick journey, holding materiality for so long was a little tense. It was a good thing I had time to recharge from my princess, otherwise my strength might not have been enough.

It had only been a few hours, if not less, since we had left the camp. I realised this by looking out of the window and looking at the stars, some of which were obscured by clouds, but by the position of the moon I more or less knew how much time had passed. Looking down, I saw sand. It was fifteen to twenty stories to the ground, which was about fifty metres. The fox looked at me silently, giving me the much-needed time to get my thoughts in order.

The journey was extremely fast: forest, plains, mountains, desert. Each of these points was accompanied by a transition from the world of the living to the world of the spiritual, through special places. A thicket deep in the forest, a large thicket among the plains, a cave in the mountains, and a certain oasis in the middle of the desert. By travelling hundreds of metres or a kilometre in the spirit world, we could find ourselves thousands of kilometres away from the past place. Quite an interesting way of travelling. No wonder it all made me dizzy. The fox was travelling too fast. Its speed at its maximum was like lightning. It travelled across the desert in a matter of minutes. I didn't even notice how during another jump dozens or even hundreds of metres upwards, we found ourselves on the stone floor instead of the desert sand.

- It was quite exciting. Aren't you tired? - I turned to the vixen, having stopped admiring the views of the night desert and finally coming to order. It's strange, how could I be dizzy if I'm just a spirit?

- Tired? That term is inappropriate," the animal tilts its muzzle to the side, showing its incomprehension.

- Um...

- Spirits do not know fatigue. Such terms as rest, fatigue, need for sleep, and others like them apply to humans and other living animals, but not to spirits," the fox calmly explained to me, heading down the stairs.

- I see," I could only reply, remembering how little I knew about spirits.

- Come on, Mr Wang Shi Tong hasn't had a visitor in a while," the fox told me before disappearing down the hatch. Not wanting to lag behind my guide, I pick up my bag from the floor and hurry after her. But as soon as I reached the pit's sharp descent, I quickly discovered the fox's arse walking calmly along the vertical wall. Ahem, she can't fly, but there's nothing stopping her from defying gravity. Amazing.

- Mr Yoaru? - The animal turns round, looking for me.

- I'm right behind you," I hurried to catch up with the fox, flying through the air with my bag of books.

We started down the long tunnel of the tower. Pretty soon we flew out, or rather I flew out, and the fox just kept walking along the ceiling. Anyway, we found ourselves in a stunningly spacious room. The furnishings were amazing. From above we could see a softly lit square, ornately carved columns propped up by elaborate arches. On the walls, ceiling, floor, and columns, various images of OWLs could be seen everywhere. And books. Everywhere you looked, you could see hundreds and thousands of lined shelves, the shelves of which were completely filled with books. There was no bottom or floor to be seen, only countless floors, each of which probably had more than a thousand books just waiting for someone to touch their wisdom.

Amazingly, how could a spirit build all of this?

The structure itself was quite interesting and practical, it reminded me of the Coliseum. A square building with an unknown number of floors, the centre of which was spacious enough for several dragons to fly around. And only two intersecting corridors, forming a cross, were in the centre and connected the walls of each floor. There were no books in them, rather they served to make it quicker and easier for people to move around the library. While the master of this building himself had wings, and his servants moved quietly along the walls and ceilings.

Leaping from the ceiling to the first intersection of corridors, the fox sat up and must have signalled something. I only had time to feel a faint surge of spiritual energy. It must have called for the man in charge. I had no choice but to settle down next to my guide and wait for the great spirit of knowledge, putting my possessions on the floor for lack of other alternatives.

- Wait here, he'll be here soon," the fox voiced my hunch as I flew over to her.

Looking around the walls of the library, I quickly spotted a wall painting made of small tiles. It depicted a large black owl with a white face - Wang Shi Tong. Looking at the painting, I began to get even more worried. His might and strength could only be guessed at. And this caused me to feel a certain sense of apprehension and fear. Dealing with humans is not the same as dealing with spirits. They can punish, punish you severely.

But in spite of my attentiveness, expectations, preparations, the spirit appeared quite suddenly. I just heard a slight movement of the wind, and instantly realised it was behind me.

- Sir," the fox confirmed my thoughts.

That's right, owls are silent hunters! Why did I only remember that now? Calm down, it's all right. Slowly, I turned around and saw a large black something with feathers. It was the figure of a colossally huge owl. The spirit was enormous, both in height and width, and the fact that with such size it was so silent was even more frightening. With my height, I could only see its paws, and I had to lift my head to see its face. Five metres tall, no less.

- Ari..." I heard the spirit's quiet and somewhat husky voice, which was full of calm confidence and infinite wisdom. - You've brought a guest.

Wan Shi Tong leans over and examines me with a piercing look in his black eyes.

- Yes. He has knowledge, and he seeks knowledge," replied Fox, who was sitting a metre away from me, calm and unperturbed.

When the spirit arrived, I was somehow completely confused, especially by its curious gaze. I felt like a little mouse under the weight of his eyes. Fortunately, he soon straightened up again, no longer looking at me with such great curiosity.

- Good. I assume the guest you've brought has a name," Damn it, even he noticed my hesitation. I should calm down and introduce myself.

- Ahem, my name is Yoaru," I replied, staring into the owl's completely black eyes, in which I could see my reflection. The spirit remained perfectly calm.

- It's been a long time since I've had visitors, especially spirit visitors. The last one was a man from the fire nation. He was looking for a way to defeat his enemies, and what are you looking for? - When he mentioned humans, a note of threat flashed in his voice, but it was quickly replaced by interest. Wang Shi Tong saw me as a spirit, not a human, at least I hoped so.

I had nothing to hide, it was for this conversation that I had come here.

- I'm looking for a way to become human.

- Yes?" the spirit said in surprise, continuing in its casual tone. - My library has the information you need.

- Really? - I couldn't contain my emotions. It's one thing to hope and guess, but it's another thing when the guess is true. I've been unbelievably lucky.

- Yes. I've personally known spirits that have wished to live a fleeting human life, just as I've known people who have become spirits. Such phenomena are rare, but they have left their mark on history, turning into tales and fables after a while. I understood the latter, and I never understood the former," the spirit spoke somewhat philosophically, and for a brief moment, he recollected. - Perhaps you will satisfy my curiosity. Why, do you wish to become human again?

Does he know?! Relax, it doesn't change anything. I expected this, his insight is far greater than mine, no panic! Just calm and certainty.

- You're very perceptive. There are many disadvantages to a short human life, but it has its good points. You know that very well. I'd hazard a guess that most of the books were written and brought to you by humans, - what am I saying? I need to stop worrying, get a grip, my destiny is in the making!

- Right, but what does that have to do with my question? - Wang Shi Tong decided not to pay much attention to my indecision. With his shrewdness, I would hardly be able to conceal anything.

Finally feeling calm, I continued the conversation in a confident tone.

- Human life... it is more vivid, full of different colours, emotions, events. How much a person manages to do during such a tiny life, how much he feels, how much he experiences. The life of the spirit is undoubtedly longer, but at the same time it is boring and monotonous. I would not want an eternal life of the spirit, having the opportunity to live the short life of a human being. Also, I'm not only interested in a way to become human again. I'm also interested in Avatar Kyoshi, specifically in her long life. Two and a half centuries, that's a long time for a human.

- That's how it is. You want to acquire the positive aspects of humans, and get rid of their flaws. That's an interesting goal. Those to whom I've addressed this question have answered something similar, but your answer, it's more satisfying. Even though you were once human, I can see that being a spirit has done you good," the spirit replied calmly, having had time to consider my answer in a few seconds.

- Do you hate humans? - I asked him, noticing the emphasis in his speech.

- Hate them? No. I don't like them. Arrogant, narcissistic, petty, aggressive, seeking destruction and chaos. People constantly use knowledge to outdo other people, denigrating them by their nature," the spirit spoke with disdain, but quickly calmed down and continued. - Not all of them, of course, but the vast majority. The last man who visited my library set a fire in my domain, he wanted to find a way to defeat his enemies.

I wonder where the soul of the retard who dared such a brave act is now. But it's best not to bring up this painful subject again. I doubt I can change the mind of a spirit well over a thousand years old. However much he might change my mind. But Wang Shi Tong had no desire to talk further on this topic.

- However, we've gone off topic. I assume you've already been informed of the fee,'' the owl reminded him.

- Of course, I have a lot of knowledge that you are not aware of," I grabbed my bag tighter and tried to pull out one of the books.

- What interesting words. See all these books? I know everything in them," Van replied without any arrogance, calmly, taking my words too close. That's what I had planned, I need to get him interested.

- However, I know something you don't," Having said that, I hold out the book to him.

Smoothly running his wing over my hands, he made the book disappear. For a moment, I caught a certain gleam in his large and black eyes. When I focused on the face of my interlocutor, I saw nothing special. Wang stood unwaveringly in place, radiating pride and majesty with his entire appearance.

- How interesting. A language unfamiliar to the world. Hmm... A way to calculate time. Interesting. You came from the void. Yes. I should have realised it immediately,'' Wang Shi Tong said in a thoughtful voice.

Something about his words was... unusual. So unusual that the fox, who had previously been silently acting as a statue, looked at me in a new way. Had he realised something more than what I had written in the book? Did my information retention measures not work on him? Fuck, it's frustrating to not understand anything. Is that what he's talking about now?

- The voids? - I ask the spirit, interested in an obscure concept. OWLs immediately looks me over with interest, leaning forward.

- A place or space beyond the boundaries of the spiritual world. People used to go there, but no one ever came from there, or returned. There was supposed to be nothing there but emptiness, but your existence disproves that," Van explained in a calmer tone. - You can use my library, Ari will guide you to the books you need. But, I want to offer you a unique opportunity. I am very interested in all the knowledge you possess. If you provide it, I will help you personally.

- Were you able to understand the information in the book? - I cautiously inquired, afraid to hear the answer. But the owl was ruthless, confirming my fears.

- Yes. The language barrier is not an obstacle. Your defence is good, but to me it's as if it doesn't exist. I guess you are very young for a spirit, and you still think in human terms and norms, and you know very little about the world and the capabilities of some spirits," Van said with a hint of wise counsellor, but quickly returned to a relatively calm tone.

But he could no longer hide his interest in my knowledge. Or he thought pretence was unnecessary. I couldn't know that for sure. Such attention from him was frightening. Who knows what he'd be willing to do for new, unique knowledge. How do I get out of here alive? Or better yet, unharmed. Against a spirit like him, with my powers, it's ridiculous. I doubt I could even handle Ari, let alone Wang Shi Tong.

These were the thoughts that flashed through my mind while there were seconds of pause in our conversation. During this time, the bent owl continued to stare at me intently with its black eyes. His gaze was so attentive that I was beginning to think he was looking at my thoughts. Fortunately, only seeming.

- Regarding my offer. I'll give you unlimited access to my library and help you master any of my knowledge in exchange for all the knowledge you possess. It's a bargain, I'll share everything I've accumulated with you, and you'll do the same in return," he says sweetly, and that made it scarier. I could directly feel the thin ice I had so carelessly started walking on cracking.

- I'm afraid I don't have time now to study even one hundredth of the knowledge you've accumulated," I answered the spirit carefully, preparing to fight for my own life.

- What can time mean to the infinite life of a spirit? - The tone of his voice did not change at all, Wang Shi Tong still remained calm. Is he counting on persuading me?

- It's not about longevity, I'm just in a hurry for the change of seasons. Reading books takes too much time, and the knowledge I need is too much. I don't even have time to study them all, but I'll definitely come back for them when I'm done with my business and become human," I couldn't say it calmly, despite my best efforts. The situation was too tense.

- So the whole problem is the speed of learning? - The spirit asked calmly, straightening his back, and without waiting for my answer he continued. - It is not a problem for me. I can teach you any of my knowledge, but for you it will not be very pleasant, the more knowledge you want to learn, the more painful it will be.

That sounds suspicious. Too suspicious. That's what I told Wang Shi Tong. He wasn't surprised at all, remaining calm and confident. As if I had already agreed to the deal.

- This ability is possessed by all spirits, without exception. It's even available to humans, but they've forgotten about it, as well as energy magic. Humans have an amazing habit of forgetting their history," the spirit continued calmly, once again indulging in nostalgia.

- But what about me?

- You're too young. No wonder you've never experienced anything like this before. You must have rarely communicated with other spirits. This method is comparable to human communication. I only need to touch your head to give you all the information and knowledge you seek. I, in turn, will learn everything you know. It won't take more than five minutes. All you have to do is say: what do you want to know? - Van asked calmly, leaning forward again so that he could see me better.

His arguments were very convincing. After a bit of thought, I came to the conclusion that it was a very good deal. After all, I wouldn't be leaving here empty-handed, and it would take too long to study the books. Even if the owl lets me copy them or even carry them away, which I doubt. The wise spirit has offered me a very good deal, but I have my doubts. Which I nevertheless dismissed. The bargain was too tempting, and my knowledge... it's valuable, but in the hands of a peace-loving owl, it would probably just gather dust like all his books.

- I want to know all about how spirits became men and men became spirits. Magic. Everything about every kind of magic. Also the history of the world and all the significant events. I also wish to know the life of Kyoshi's avatar. Especially the reason or how she lived over two hundred years and died young. Also, the deal is that I offer all of my knowledge in exchange for all of yours. I'm willing to leave the possibility of coming back here in the future, to get the rest of what I've listed," I decided to try to be cheeky, driven by greed.

- Good. I think we have a deal. It's a good and fair deal for both of us. Try not to think about anything....

Raising his wing, Wang Shi Tong eclipsed my gaze.....