The transition to the medium level of spirit power happened even without my active participation. Simply training underwater, which makes it more effective, a visible wave of energy suddenly burst from me, rapidly expanding and freezing the already icy water.
This happened about half a month after I turned fourteen. My body's physical characteristics had already reached peak level for my frame. Even now I can calmly fight in hand-to-hand combat against seasoned hunters of our tribe who procure meat for the entire city in the tundras. I'm afraid to imagine what will happen when I'm close to twenty...
The sources that were previously more ethereal in appearance seemed to begin solidifying, and the energy flowing through my entire body transitioned to a qualitatively new level. My water sensitivity range increased from ten meters to a full fifty. I even began sensing some underground water sources beneath the city.
When transitioning to the new rank, for just a few seconds I felt water on a completely different level — a higher level. At some distance I sensed blood flowing in living people's veins... their heartbeats... However banal it may sound, I felt my omnipotence.
Water particles were found in the air that seemed to be just gathering to form clouds. Very similar to the notorious enlightenment, as if the element itself shared some of its secrets. After this I spent half an hour trying to enter this enlightened state again, but everything was unsuccessful. It felt like someone had played with me, shown me something I really needed and said, well, try harder, maybe someday you'll reach this...
"Super," escaped from me spontaneously while I played with a whole cubic meter of water that took any aggregate state at my slightest desire. I would even call it this — water became part of me.
It seems Wan Shi Tong was right with his hypothesis that states when transitioning to a new rank we have the opportunity to acquire another element. This was easy to understand when the feeling of fullness that had pursued me almost my entire conscious life disappeared somewhere. Instead came a new feeling that carried some emptiness which I wanted to fill as quickly as possible.
I need to quickly find a path to the Spirit World to definitively learn what other advantages I gained from transitioning to the new level.
Already in the next battles with water masters, my score never dropped once, even against monster grandfathers I managed to fight to a draw. Here one should consider the increased water sensory ability, which allows me already at the formation stage of any technique to determine its component, as if the water within a certain range "whispers" to me what will be applied.
Another thing I found while practicing is the ability to control the tiniest water streams. Yes, this could be done before, but not on the scale I can now. Several hundred small water streams, which are currently my limit. From them I managed to form a sphere inside which they moved under high pressure. Holding them in such form was quite difficult. The first time I lost control over it, I launched it high into the air, and two seconds later a monstrous explosion occurred in the sky, whose shock wave even slightly "shook" the city. [ image ]

As I understood, the sphere that rose into the air, no longer under my control, exploded, spewing cutting water lines from itself. I raised quite a panic then, had to confess to the deed, otherwise they were already thinking about an attack and wanted to mobilize all benders and warriors.
Of course, I was reprimanded, and now I'm only allowed to practice bending at a respectful distance from the city.
I perfected this ability only closer to the end of the second week. The result was a technique that would give modern bombs a run for their money even in the twenty-first century. Depending on the number of water streams, the "bomb" turned out different in power. For simplicity of designation I called them: bomb one, bomb two, and bomb three. If a first-level bomb has a damage radius of about a hundred meters, then a third-level bomb already has almost a full half-kilometer.
Another defensive technique appeared in my arsenal, which arose after creating those bombs. Taking a little water and subjecting it to high pressure, I cover my entire body with a thin and transparent film. One could say I put on a second skin, but it would be more correct to call this skill "second life."
This film has strength that exceeds that of spirit armor by a hundred times for sure. Thanks to the large amount of energy invested in this technique. To test this technique I had to involve all the masters. To really convince them of my safety, I decided to make adjustments — first one master attacks, and then, if the defense calmly withstands damage from one master, we'll add one more. The result was stunning. Attacks from all masters simply exhausted my reserve, but I received no damage. Now I'm learning to constantly maintain a minimum film on myself. Who knows, maybe it'll really save my life someday.
After the level of mastery I showed, people's attitude toward me underwent some changes. People I met around the city approached to greet me, while children looked at me like their idol.
Even at meetings some individuals switched to my side, and there are others who in the near future will still decide to follow me. I even began to forget that strength decides very much here.
Kyoshi Island, which without having a large army and resources, stands independent only because of the strongest bender at that time — Avatar Kyoshi. Bumi, who essentially can do whatever he wants in his city and no Dai Li will even approach him because he's one of the strongest, if not the strongest earthbender. And there are many more such examples...
***
Approaching ever closer to the Spirit Oasis, I began to feel as if the spirit world was overlaying the human world. After all, one of the portals connecting both worlds is located here. Now even though it's closed, one can feel some echoes of the Spirit World.
I'm going to the Oasis not only to chat with a couple of ancient spirits, but also to try to pass to their plane. Yes, the portals are closed, but it's worth trying.[ image ]
Following the path, I came to the oasis itself, in which white and black koi carp were swimming. Approaching closer and continuing to watch how they swim, I didn't notice... how I fell into some kind of trance. In which the spirits' movements acquired mysterious harmony. [ image ]

Falling out of this state, I immediately sat on the grass and began analyzing all the information the spirits had transmitted to me in such an unusual way.
As it turned out, Tui and La themselves understand perfectly well both human speech and spirit thought-speech, but they don't see the necessity to communicate that way. No, not like that — they communicate on a higher level, even this dance was done to ease the flow of information entering me.
Tui and La don't even remember when exactly they appeared — essentially, as soon as this world appeared at all, they appeared too. And while there are Oceans and Moon here, they will live forever. They dwell here for greater comfort, because in the human world the Moon and Oceans are even closer to them than in the Spirit World.
They asked me for several favors — to disturb them less, and as much as possible not to let these incarnations die. In the human world they are completely defenseless, as it turned out, if they were here with all their power, there would be natural disasters like floods and generally everything bad that can be connected with the ocean. Yes, even the waters would be so restless that sailing on them would be impossible. Of course, this wouldn't happen immediately, but the longer they stay here, the more it will "warp" the human world.
Having sorted all the information, I allowed myself to sigh with relief. Still, the spirits turned out to be quite peaceful, if only they wouldn't forcibly transmit knowledge, they'd be priceless.
For possible help in their further carefree life, they gave me an advance boost in understanding the water element. And it was precisely difficult not with the transmitted information, but with their memories of how they perceive water. Here's attached the fact that their mind is far from human, and... everything was incomprehensible, but I still somehow managed to understand — decipher some part.
Having put my mind in order, I was about to try to get from here to the spirit world when I almost made a terrible mistake.
If I disappear for a long time in the Spirit World or get stuck there altogether, my family will be beside themselves. Especially little Yue — they might even consider me dead. It's worth not forgetting that I'm no longer a lonely spirit — I have close people who sincerely worry about me. But they definitely won't want to let me go anywhere. Wrestling with my conscience, I decided to leave a note in a visible place in my room. In it I blamed everything on kind spirits who were going to teach me to master water even better.
Yes, such an excuse, but nothing at all came to mind. At the end I decided to add that these are good friends of Tui and La, so there's no need to worry. Forgive me, spirits of Moon and Ocean, but be my shield for some time — they won't interrogate you anyway, you never talked to them before. Only the Chief's family has access here, I hope they won't bother the fish too much, otherwise it seems I promised to disturb them less...
"Well, this is for our common safe future, the stronger I am, the better for all of us" — at least that's how I tried to calm myself.
Not knowing what exactly to do, I decided to try tuning into the spirit world's energy. Probably my carelessness will kill me someday. Well, who expected everything to work out on the first try.
As I assumed, I found myself between worlds being completely in my body, meaning all my abilities are with me... and that's good, no, even excellent!
I found myself at a strange pillar of light that separates the spirit and human worlds. So, I should start strengthening my body with neutral energy — breaking through a closed portal definitely won't be easy, if it's even possible at all.
Approaching closer to the light wall, I tried to feel places where it was weaker. The wall feels monolithic, nowhere to go around even. No choice remained...
Catching my breath, taking a running start, I jumped into the light pillar.
As soon as my body touched some boundary, I felt déjà vu. How long had it been since my body lost consciousness from pain? It seems the last time this happened was when I was still a spirit.
The last thing I felt was my body meeting a snowdrift.
[ image ]

***
[ Year 90 after the Air Nomad genocide.
Southern Water Tribe. ]
Near a small and dilapidated village that stood lonely among endless white fields, a brother and sister were playing. Looking at their faces, one could understand that despite the hardships that befell their tribe, they hadn't lost their positive attitude.

"Katara, that's not fair! Your snowballs shouldn't change direction in flight!" six-year-old Sokka shouted indignantly at his younger sister, while pulling out snow that got in his ear. [ image ]

"But I didn't do anything, it just happens by itself!" little Katara answered with no less indignation, not understanding herself why her snowballs lived their own life. [image]

At that moment an incomprehensible flash of light occurred near them, briefly blinding their eyes.
"Sokka, did you see that too?" the girl asked her brother, rubbing her eyes. "Let's go look! It was very close, seems like behind that hill. Come on, let's go check!" she hurried Sokka, already walking in that direction.
"Katara wait, what if it's Fire Nation people?! We should call mom first!" seeing that his attempts had no effect, he also followed her — after all, childish curiosity is inherent in him too.
"Are you silly? Grandma said they always sailed from the ocean," Katara said confidently, even looking at her brother with a bit of superiority: "as if I remembered, but you apparently didn't."
Sokka could only roll his eyes at her behavior.
Approaching closer, they saw a person sticking out of a snowdrift upside down. Looking at each other, each of them grabbed a leg to pull out the body.
As soon as the entire body was extracted from the snowdrift, they saw a teenager who had long white hair and wore traditional Water Tribe clothing in blue shades.
"See, he's also from the tribe!" Katara said excitedly.
"Argh, you've never even seen him in our tribe! Maybe it's a spy who specially disguised himself to infiltrate us..." Sokka was already muttering thoughtfully. "But why send such a conspicuous spy? Hmm, I've never seen white hair, and is this definitely a boy?"
While Sokka played detective, Katara checked his breathing — after all, in some things she was more attentive than older Sokka. Seeing no visible injuries, she paid attention to his face. A blush touched her dark cheeks — for the first time she saw such a beautiful boy. Running her hand through his hair, she was amazed by their softness. Sharply removing her hand, she blushed even more.
"Let's take him to our house, let mom examine him," she said after all.
"You've already decided everything, haven't you?" Sokka said resignedly, already grabbing the white-haired boy's legs.
"Don't be a grouch, he might catch cold," said the breathless girl who started helping her brother drag the stranger to their tribe.
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