The methods of disseminating information in this world were... obviously very outdated. It was more than fifty years before the invention of radio, if I wasn't mistaken about the time when Korra was born; ordinary messengers were very slow, and it was unlikely that every member of the White Lotus had even one. That is why the members of the Lotus, in their own words, used specially trained postal birds - dragon hawks called Falcons. These birds, native to the jungles of the Fire Nation, were used over extremely long distances in the Fire and Earth territories, and Shu even had one of his own. Beautiful and proud, he sent the bird with a letter somewhere to the north... although it was worth noting that it was definitely slower than my Afka. Considering that I would first have to wait for it to fly to its destination and then return with the necessary information, it would take more than a day. As you can imagine, I had a lot of free time on my hands.
As night fell and the old folks were so tired from all the talking that they were falling off their chairs, they decided to go home. I was given a separate room in the house, in the farthest corner, where there was only a bed and that was it. But since I was tired, and it was still much better than the underground Burrow of Hobbit, where I had lived for over a month, I didn't ask any questions. I climbed into the bed, laid my head on the floor, as there was no pillow, and looked up at the ceiling. There was no light or windows to illuminate anything, but the general coolness and the sound of crickets coming from the street gave the night in the village a special atmosphere.
"I'm lucky..." I couldn't believe my own words. The fact that Bumi had directed me to the members of the White Lotus, apparently seeing in me a worthy person, was appealing in every way. And with that, a new goal appeared: to meet the leader of the Lotus. The elders didn't mention his name, but I knew it. Airo, the best elder in Avatar. One problem: he never stays in one place, and he's always accompanied by his nephew and a whole squad of fire mages. What are the chances that I'll be able to meet him without any problems?
And then...
"The Lotus's goals often intersected with the Avatars' direct responsibilities," I recalled the elders saying. Some Avatars worked closely with the Lotus, and in return, they taught him. Not that I wanted to teach Aang, but I didn't need to. I could simply become a link between the two, making Aang a wiser master of the elements who wouldn't have to wander aimlessly around the world, wasting time looking for teachers. After all, if I helped, the war would end sooner.
"Yes, I can use the Lotus to help the world. The sooner the war ends, the easier my life will be. Now... it's time to sleep," but just as I closed my eyes, I saw two bright orange eyes staring down at me. If my fear hadn't been blocked, I would have jumped up and screamed... but common sense told me it was Aphka. And for the sake of the holy dog, I wished it had been some kind of monster.
"Af.
"No, leave me alone. I'll pay you back for your help later.
"AFF!" She bared her teeth and moved closer to my face. She was... unbearable! The red-haired mutt didn't wait for me to come to my senses and find some useful source of knowledge, forcing me to come up with something right now. Realising that there was no way to hide from the spirit or shut it up — oh yes, I tried — I had to go outside and look at the full moon hanging in the sky in complete disappointment.
Among all the sources of information that could be transferred to the library, there were only fairy tales about the Crystal Knight. But since there were already similar fairy tales in the library, at least according to Afka, I had to delve deeper into the subject. I had to study everything myself and structure the information about Crystal Magic.
Moving away from the village, under the satisfied gaze of a mustachioed rat, I took off my outer clothing and began to hone one of the few techniques that Crystal Mages had mastered to near perfection. Levitation. Even a novice Earth mage could lift a stone from the ground and control it from a distance. This standard technique was used to give momentum to a large piece of stone, but that was all. No one learned to hold a stone in one place for long enough, as it took a lot of energy, just as no one tried to lift and hold a whole pile of stones in this way, because then it would be more difficult to throw them. With crystals, it was possible to come up with a few more tricks.
Ugh*
"So that's how King Boomi could control stones from a great distance," I panted, sweat dripping from my muscles. Seven stones, not particularly large, levitated around me, moving at roughly the same speed, gradually moving away from my body. The ability to fight with remote blades, to throw stones at the enemy's back — that was the power that legends were made of in this village. In fact, levitation could even be used for flight, but it was too early for me to think about that. I strained, thinking about how to optimise the process, and then planned to write down this training session on paper.
Meanwhile, the fox was licking her lips maliciously. Considering how late she had dragged me out and what she had made me do... it seemed that she wasn't even interested in knowledge. She was interested in me.
"Nympho.
"...R-r-r.
***
Early in the morning, the village began its lazy, flowing life again. The children went off to play, the old people went out into the courtyard, and Shu and Yo, like madmen, gathered the board from Pai Sho and began to look for Dagot. The boy was not in the room where they had left him, and the bed looked as if no one had slept on it.
However, they didn't search for long. Just a couple of minutes. Going into the backyard, the knowledge-hungry old men saw a panting, completely sweaty young man doing pull-ups with one arm. His biceps, as big as his head, were red from overexertion, and his face was contorted from the effort. But the old men, frozen in place, were struck by the object he was pulling himself up on. In the air, three metres above the ground, hung a large, crystal stick, attached to nothing at all.
The old men silently walked around him, making sure that it was indeed hanging in the air, and scratched their heads.
"Phew," said Dagoth, finally coming down, picking up a nearby basin and pouring water over himself. Seeing their completely confused, questioning looks, he waved towards the hanging stick, "It's stuck, you bastards.
***
Several days in this village seemed like an eternity. When I wasn't talking, I simply trained and structured the magic from local fairy tales, writing everything down in a meaningful manual. But every day still began with me sitting on the porch with the old men and learning about the world through conversation with them. And since Pai SHO was for two, I watched from the sidelines so as not to lie again. The discussions could easily be called senile ramblings and a waste of time, but each member of the Lotus had their own way of describing it. A search for truth.
"Remember what you yourself told us. Long ago, all peoples were united, there was no division into nations and magic, we were all people who tried to come together and live in peace. We do not try to reject things that are different, we accept them and study them. Take crystal, for example — it is not earth in the literal sense of the word, but nevertheless, intelligent people have found a way to harness it, understanding that there are no differences for the mind.
The topic somehow strayed into the realm of illusions that every person creates in their mind.
"It's easy to say that there are no boundaries, but there are people, powerful people, who want to deal with the definition of 'different nations' in their own way. They force even more people into boundaries," I continued.
"You mean the Fire Lord," Shu nodded, looking upset. "Harmony used to be maintained by the Avatar. Those who mistakenly believed that power could only be achieved through conquest were directed towards their own failures, dispelling their illusions. Although many Avatars previously only participated in the lives of the people without understanding the framework in which they lived, our Order began to try to break down these attitudes. We set about teaching them, hoping that he would unite the people... but so far no one has achieved this, and most likely no one will in the future.
"We tried with many previous Avatars - it didn't work. So we need someone who can shatter other people's illusions," said Yo, the kind old man, looking gloomy for the first time. "Even if the Avatar were alive... I would advise the Order to try to figure it out for itself. We would all help the brave soul who decided to do it. But no one has the courage yet...
They gave me so much food for thought that I didn't want to ask any more questions. More than a week passed in this way. When the messenger bird returned and I received the exact location of the circus, with details of its further travel plans, I had no choice but to pack my things and set off on my journey.
The circus, with my teacher Tsui, was far to the north and was gradually moving down the coast of the mainland towards the south. That is, in my direction. I had time to visit all the places I wanted to see.
I said goodbye to the old folks and set off. But my thoughts were still preoccupied with one question.
"Afka..." I began, looking at the note on the map, "Do you think that if Boomy had devoted his entire life to magic, he would have been able to surpass his current status as the strongest? Could he have defeated the Fire Lord? He put his extraordinary abilities to use helping people, without going mad from his power, which could easily have happened.
"Af.
"I don't understand..." I smiled sadly. Looking at Afka, I realised more and more that I wanted to learn how to talk to her. "In any case, according to Bumi, in the city of Gaolin, I will learn how to fight and have fun. The place of underground fights and the home of the Beifong family...
I wasn't going to make any rash statements, rush into battle against the master of fire, or become the leader of an entire army. But I would quietly strive to stop Oza myself. And for that, at the very least, I needed...
"Afka, shall we play at the next stop in Pai Sho?
"Af?
"I asked them for a board. I want to learn how to read my opponents," I smiled.
Perhaps this is also a way to understand Afka. If not her words, then at least learn to understand her desires.
***
Advanced chapters:
patreon.com/posts/avatar-139933426