Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 12. The Portal.

The transition to the intermediate level of waterbending happened effortlessly, even without my active involvement. While training underwater, which made it more effective, a visible wave of power suddenly surged from me. Rapidly expanding, it froze the already cold water.

This occurred roughly two weeks after my seventh birthday. At that point, my physical attributes had reached their peak for my body. I could already engage in hand-to-hand combat against hardened hunters who provided meat for the entire tribe in the tundra. I dread to imagine what I'll be capable of by the time I'm twenty.

The sources, which had previously seemed more ethereal, now felt as if they were solidifying. The chi flowing through my body had reached an entirely new level. My sensitivity to water increased from ten meters to a full fifty. I even began to sense some underground water sources beneath the city.

During the transition to the new rank, for just a few seconds, I perceived water on an entirely different level. At a distance, I felt the blood flowing in living people, their heartbeats, and in the air, I detected water particles that seemed to be forming into clouds. It was much like enlightenment, as if the element itself had shared its secrets with me. Afterward, I spent half an hour trying to reenter that enlightened state, but to no avail. It felt as though I'd been teased—shown something I desperately needed and then told, "Try harder; maybe one day you'll reach it."

"Awesome," I blurted out instinctively as I played with a cubic meter of water that took any form I desired at the slightest whim. I'd even say the water had become a part of me.

It seems Van Shi Tong was right: when advancing to a new rank, we have the opportunity to acquire another element. This became clear when the sense of fullness that had pursued me my entire conscious life vanished. In its place came a new feeling, one that carried a certain emptiness I wanted to fill. I need to find a way into the Spirit World soon to confirm exactly what other benefits I've gained from this new level.

In subsequent battles with waterbenders, my score never dropped. I even managed to fight to a draw against the elder waterbending masters, though it's worth noting that my enhanced water sensitivity allows me to determine the components of an attack even as it's being formed. It's as if the water itself whispers to me within a certain range about what will be used.

Another ability I discovered during practice is the power to compress water. Yes, I could do this before, but not on the scale I can now. I managed to compress several dozen tons of water—my current limit—into a few cubic centimeters, though holding it in that state was even more challenging. The first time I lost control, I launched it high into the air. Two seconds later, an explosion occurred in the sky, and the shockwave even shook the city slightly. I caused quite a panic and had to confess to what I'd done; otherwise, they'd have thought it was an attack and would've mobilized everyone. Of course, I was reprimanded, and now I'm only allowed to practice bending at a distance from the city.

I refined this ability by the end of the week. The result was a technique that could rival modern bombs even in the 21st century. Depending on the compression of the water, the bomb's power varies. For simplicity, I named them Bomb 1, Bomb 2, and Bomb 3. While Bomb 1 has a blast radius of about 100 meters, Bomb 3 extends to a full kilometer. Thankfully, I've only seen a similar ability in Avatar Aang during his final battle with Fire Lord Ozai.

Another defensive technique emerged from this new ability. By compressing water into a thin, transparent film, I can cover my entire body with it, like a second skin. But I'd call this skill a second life. This film is a hundred times stronger than even the protection of an earthbending shield. To test it, I had to involve all the masters. To truly convince them of its effectiveness, I decided to make adjustments: first, one master would attack, and if the defense withstood the damage, we'd add another master. The result was astonishing. The attacks of all the masters merely depleted my reserves; I didn't sustain a single injury. Now, I'm learning to maintain a minimum layer of the film on me at all times—who knows, it might save my life someday.

After demonstrating my level of mastery, people's attitudes toward me shifted. People I met in the city approached me to greet me, and children looked up to me as their idol. Even at gatherings, some individuals switched sides to support me, and there are others who will likely join me in the near future. I've even begun to forget that strength here determines so much. Kyoshi Island, lacking a large army and resources, remains independent solely because of the strength of Avatar Kyoshi. Bumi, who can essentially do whatever he wants in his city, faces no interference from the Dai Li because he's one of the strongest, if not the strongest, earthbenders. And there are many more examples like this.

---

As I drew closer to the Spirit Oasis, I began to feel as though the human world was overlapping with the Spirit World. After all, this is one of the portals connecting both realms. Even though it's currently closed, I could sense echoes of the Spirit World.

I'm heading to the Oasis not only to chat with a couple of spirits but also to try entering the Spirit World. Yes, the portals are closed, but it's worth attempting.

Walking along the path, I arrived at the oasis, where white and black koi carp swam. As I drew closer and continued watching them, I didn't notice I'd slipped into a trance-like state, during which the spirits' movements acquired a certain harmony.

Snapping out of it, I immediately sat on the grass and began analyzing all the information the spirits had conveyed to me in such an unusual way.

As it turns out, Tui and La understand both human speech and the thought-speech of spirits perfectly, but they see no need to communicate in such ways. No, they communicate on a higher level. Even this dance was performed to facilitate the flow of information into me.

Tui and La don't even remember when they first appeared. Essentially, as soon as this world came into existence, so did they. And as long as there are Oceans and the Moon here, they will live forever. They reside here for greater comfort; in the human world, the Moon and Oceans are even closer to them than in the Spirit World.

They asked me for a few favors: to disturb them less and, to the best of my ability, prevent these incarnations from dying. In the human world, they are completely vulnerable. If they were here with their full power, there would be catastrophic events like floods and all sorts of oceanic disasters. Even the waters would be so turbulent that sailing would be impossible. Of course, this wouldn't happen immediately, but the longer they stay here, the more distorted the world will become.

Organizing all the information, I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief. The spirits turned out to be quite peaceful, though I wish they wouldn't force knowledge upon me—it would be priceless.

In exchange for potential help in their continued carefree lives, they advanced my understanding of the water element. The challenge wasn't the information itself but their memories of how they perceive water. Given that their minds are far from human, it was all incomprehensible, but I managed to grasp some of it.

Having sorted my thoughts, I was about to try entering the Spirit World from here when I nearly made a terrible mistake.

If I disappear into the Spirit World for a long time or get stuck there, my family will be beside themselves, especially little Yui. They might even think I'm dead. It's important to remember that I'm no longer a lone spirit; I have loved ones who genuinely worry about me.

But they won't let me go off recklessly either. Wrestling with my conscience, I decided to leave a note in my room, blaming everything on kind spirits who would teach me to bend water even better. It's a weak excuse, but nothing else came to mind. In the end, I added that these were good friends of Tui and La, so there was no need to worry. Forgive me, Spirits of the Moon and Ocean, but please serve as my shield for a while. They won't interrogate you anyway, since you've never spoken to them.

Only the Chief's family has access here. I hope they don't bother the fish too much, since I promised to disturb them less. "Alright, it's for our shared safe future. The stronger I become, the better it will be for all of us," I reassured myself as I walked from the Palace toward the Oasis.

Not knowing exactly what to do, I decided to try attuning myself to the energy of the Spirit World. My carelessness will probably kill me someday. Who expected it to work on the first try?

As I anticipated, I found myself between worlds, fully in my body, meaning all my bending abilities are with me—and that's good.

I ended up at a pillar of light separating the Spirit and human worlds. I need to start strengthening my body with neutral energy. Breaking through a closed portal won't be easy, if it's even possible.

Moving closer to the wall of light, I tried to sense where it was weaker. The wall feels monolithic, with no way around it.

Taking a deep breath, I ran and jumped into the pillar of light.

As soon as my body touched the boundary, I felt a sense of déjà vu. How long has it been since my body lost consciousness from pain? It seems the last time was when I was still a spirit, losing Yuki's form.

The last thing I felt was my body colliding with a snowdrift.

---

**Year 89 after the Air Nomad Genocide.**

**Southern Water Tribe**

Near a small, dilapidated village standing alone amidst endless white fields, a brother and sister played. Despite the hardships their tribe had endured, they hadn't lost their positive spirit.

"Katara, that's not fair! Your waterbending shouldn't change direction mid-flight!" the five-year-old Sokka shouted indignantly at his younger sister, pulling snow out of his ear.

"But I didn't do anything; it just happens that way!" the four-year-old Katara retorted, equally upset. She didn't understand why her snowballs had a mind of their own.

At that moment, a strange flash of light appeared near them, blinding them momentarily.

"Sokka, did you see that too?" the girl asked, rubbing her eyes. "Let's go check it out; it was just over that hill. Come on, let's investigate," she urged, already heading in that direction.

"Katara, wait! What if it's the Fire Nation? We should get Mom first," Sokka said, though seeing his attempts were futile, he followed her, curiosity getting the better of him.

"You're so silly! Grandma said they always come from the ocean," Katara declared confidently, even glancing at her brother with a superior air, as if to say, "I remembered, but you obviously didn't."

Sokka could only roll his eyes at her behavior.

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As they approached, they saw a person sticking out of a snowdrift, upside down. Looking at each other, they each grabbed a leg to pull the body out.

Once the entire body was freed from the snow, they saw a boy with long white hair wearing traditional blue-hued Water Tribe clothing.

"See, he's from our tribe too!" Katara said proudly.

"Ugh, you've never even seen him in our tribe! Maybe he's a spy disguised to infiltrate," Sokka muttered thoughtfully. "But why send such a conspicuous spy? Hmm, I've never seen white hair before, and is he even a boy?"

While Sokka played detective, Katara checked his breathing. In some things, she was more attentive than her older brother. Seeing no injuries, she noticed his face. A blush crept up her cheeks; it was the first time she'd seen such a handsome boy. Running her hand through his hair, she marveled at its softness. Quickly pulling her hand away, she blushed even more.

"Let's take him home so Mom can examine him," she finally said.

"You've already made up your mind, haven't you?" Sokka said resignedly, grabbing the white-haired boy's legs.

"Don't be difficult; he might catch a cold," said the panting girl, helping her brother carry the stranger back to their tribe.