Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 6. First Knowledge.

In the following months, my daily routine settled into a consistent pattern. I spent most of my time sleeping, and during my waking hours, I occupied myself with whatever I could. I quickly began to feel a hunger for information, so much so that I was even willing to read dry Wikipedia entries.

Fortunately, my parents decided it was time to start teaching me the basics of language. Often, either my mother or the nanny would stay with me, simply telling stories or occasionally trying to teach me how to pronounce words. So far, I could only babble something unintelligible—my tongue wasn't ready for complex manipulations yet. However, I could already stand on my own and even take a few steps while leaning against a wall.

As my birthday approached, I had learned the alphabet, could speak individual syllables, and had even mastered yelling when I felt the urge to, well, do my business. My motor skills were improving steadily. In the beginning, if I wanted to move my left hand, I might accidentally punch myself with my right. Now, I could hit myself with the hand I actually intended to use—progress was evident.

You can also congratulate me: I'm a man—well, more like a future man, still just a larva, but my masculinity will only grow. This momentous, epochal, unforgettable event happened a month ago when we visited a place that combined elements of a Russian banya and Japanese hot springs. Essentially, when not in use, the space resembled a simple pool. But Jun simply stood in a certain pose with a focused expression, turning part of the water into hot steam while leaving the rest warm. And yes, I learned my mother's name. As my hearing normalized, I often heard others call her by it.

That day, I discovered she was a powerful waterbender. Changing the state of matter isn't just manipulating ordinary water—it's far more complex. She stripped me down, laid me on a flat surface, and began examining me with healing water. I'll need to learn more about the traditions of the Northern Water Tribe. From what I've seen in the city, girls don't go beyond the basics and healing bending. According to the plot, combat bending is forbidden for women. So either Mom is hiding her skills well, or as the Chief's wife, she's allowed to go beyond basic manipulation to match his status.

Now, the main point: there was a mirror in the bathhouse, a large one, and they held me naked in front of it. In the mirror, I saw *it*—yes, it's still small, but I already see its potential. For the entire next month, a happy smile never left my face. I didn't even pay attention to the routine torment inflicted by the female population of the palace.

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My mother's eyes watched me, seemingly burning with a tender expectation and faith in me. How could I refuse when she looked at me like that? I couldn't.

"Ma-ma," I said.

"Aaaah, my little darling," Mom replied. Then they began to torture me in every way possible—fifteen minutes of agony that, by chance, took the form of hugs and other affectionate gestures. Dad just looked at me sympathetically, making no attempt to stop his wife.

Seeing my progress with language, they started bringing me books and helped me read them together. Of course, they were children's books—there was nothing else here. Maybe the Fire Nation has an established paper production for printing entertainment books, but here, books seem like precious repositories of knowledge and experience. My first book was a local encyclopedia about animals.

The author even drew the animals. Honestly, looking at his illustrations, in my past life, I would've paid a fortune for them. The man had talent. And how he described predators? It felt like the author had steel balls, approaching predatory animals during mating season when they're most aggressive? Can do, able, practiced. He described countless such situations—it's less of an encyclopedia and more of a collection of what *not* to do when encountering various animals.

Now, let me tell you about some genuinely strange creatures in the local fauna. I won't even delve into the puzzling factors suggesting interspecies relations among different animals to create such chimeras. Let's just blame it on Wan, the first Avatar—he disrupted harmony, so a few more sins won't matter.

First up are white hamsters, a combination of hamster and cat that only make sounds resembling rat squeaks. Doesn't it seem like one of the ancestors of these amazing creatures—either the hamster or the cat—strayed to the rat side?

Turtle seals—seals that decided a shell is a useful household item.

Tiger seals—the same seals with feline features and tiger stripes along their bodies. They're the primary food source for the Southern Water Tribe.

Polar bear-dogs—a combination of bear and dog still considered wild and hunted by hunters. According to the series, Avatar Korra will be the first to domesticate one, proving its usefulness in her adventures. Still, these amazing creatures have more of a dog's loyalty. I hope I can find and befriend one, and people will realize there are alternatives to killing them.

Otherwise, the picture isn't very cheerful. The Air Nomads have flying bison, the Fire Nation had dragons (which they hunted to extinction), and the Earth Kingdom has cool badgermoles. But the Water Tribe doesn't have a totem animal.

Another amusing animal is the koala-otter—the name says it all. Northern Water Tribe children love to keep them as pets; they're low-maintenance and not as mischievous as the winged lemurs of the Air Nomads.

Next came records detailing the history of the Northern Water Tribe. The earliest records describe a time after most of the Water Tribe had settled at the North Pole. Observing the tides, the pioneers began to understand the nature of waterbending. It's worth noting that some people had already intuited the need to observe nature to master chi , but the first successes came only at the North Pole, home to the spirits Tui and La. People weren't foolish—they realized who had given them the necessary push in mastering the element. Thus began the veneration of the Moon and Ocean Spirits, who played an invaluable role in establishing the entire Water Nation.

Further records come from various tribes inhabiting the North Pole before the capital was established. People here always lived in tribes, each with its own chief. Where there are people, there are disagreements. Wars and skirmishes often broke out between tribes, but there were also individuals who, through speeches or warfare, united most of the tribes into a single state. At the same time, some tribes broke away, later founding the Southern Water Tribe.

When the state was formed, the first chief was elected, holding complete control over the people. To create a counterbalance, a Council of Chiefs was established, comprising all former tribal chiefs. Over time, due to wars, outstanding warriors and powerful waterbenders also joined the council.

Society is highly patriarchal, with gender roles strictly divided—in my opinion, a poor policy. Just look at the series: female waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe sank Fire Nation ships alongside men, if not more so. Based on the series, the strongest waterbenders were mostly women.

There are records from people who witnessed the sheer determination of Southern Water Tribe warriors and benders defending their city. Yes, it was an entire city, almost as large as the Northern Capital. As described, for Fire Nation warriors to advance even slightly, they had to sacrifice nearly three times as many people as the Water Tribe. This was a significant blow to the proud Fire Nation, which, despite its victorious campaigns across much of the world, was losing to what they considered primitive tribes. They didn't spare resources, simply crushing them with an endless stream of people and machines.

These intense raids only stopped recently when the Fire Nation was convinced no waterbenders remained on the South Pole. Occasionally, ships would visit to check, as when they took Katara and Sokka's mother.

What about the North Pole?

The Northerners withstood a series of Fire Nation attacks thanks to harsher weather and a fortified wall. But other factors can't be overlooked. The North lacked resources the Fire Nation needed, and even if they existed, the cost of capturing the city was too high. At that time, the Fire Nation was at war with all nations simultaneously: naval attacks targeted both the Southern and Northern Water Tribes, land wars were fought with the Earth Kingdom, and some forces were sent to the Air Temples. The Northerners endured numerous attacks, with the last attempted invasion occurring about 70 years ago. At that point, the Chief and Council realized that even defending their territory, they had lost many lives and lacked the strength for any serious counterattack.

Thus, they decided to almost completely cut off contact with the outside world, hoping that if they kept a low profile, they wouldn't be bothered. Of course, it was written differently, but reading between the lines, it's clear the people essentially lost the war but preserved their independence because they were no longer of use to the Fire Nation.

Honestly, it's all quite sad. Even if there were serious reasons for the Fire Nation��s expansion, it later seemed like a strange idea with the motto: "Kill everyone, be the last one standing."

But I won't speculate based solely on my assumptions until I fully understand all the nuances. As a member of the Water Tribe, I'm already an enemy of the Fire Nation. However, there's a difference between killing Fire Nation warriors and benders who serve in the army and are ready to kill or be killed, and ordinary citizens who may just want a peaceful life. Maniacs, murderers, and the like should be erased from the face of the earth regardless—that's not up for debate. Of course, I'm not going to actively seek them out, and I won't kill without fully understanding the situation. But with 100% certainty, I will and can stop such behavior.

As a spirit, I wasn't overly troubled by the moral implications of killing fellow spirits. Buried under various problems and having lost my mind to chi and the new world, it somehow passed me by. But now, as I gather information about the world around me, I'll try to follow my moral compass, helping me remain human in any situation. I know this is a different world with different customs, and wartime isn't for the morally upright. But being human, in my understanding, means staying human always. I'll hope this world is closer to the one shown in the cartoon, where there wasn't as much cruelty.

Alright, I've burdened myself enough. Maybe I'll forget all this when I'm actually standing at the top of the world, so I should calm down—no one's appointed me Emperor of Mankind yet.