Home was good. For several days in a row, all I did was rest and spend time with Yui. As thanks for her pardon, she asked me to start teaching her waterbending. I didn't tell her I was already planning to begin her training soon.
Yui's talent in waterbending was colossal—not as strong as mine, but definitely several times better than that of ordinary waterbenders. Technically, she could have started training on her own, but to make our time more efficient, we decided to practice together. It was also a great opportunity for her to spend more time with me.
After our conversation about our spiritual connection, Yui, with my permission and under my guidance, began experimenting with it. During her research, she discovered that when her chi was low, she could borrow mine as long as I wasn't too far away. This meant she could train until she dropped, but overusing bending was still harmful. My chi, being of higher quality, would destabilize her own if used for too long. However, in small doses, it would benefit her—her chi would gradually try to match mine.
Another feature of our connection was its gradual development. Last week, when she couldn't find me, Yui tried to reach out emotionally or locate me, which didn't work due to the distance. But it led to an unexpected result. When we both focused on the connection, we could communicate telepathically, emphasizing words and sentences with emotions. This made our communication just as effective as a regular conversation.
A thought crossed my mind: What if I shared a part of my chi with someone else? Would it turn an ordinary person into a bender? Would it awaken their gift?
In Yui's case, many factors played a role. We're close relatives, our chi isn't too different, and she was an infant when it happened, meaning her chi was malleable. Most importantly, all her ancestors were from the Water Tribe, while my chi is a mix of neutral and water. I doubt giving a part of my chi to a Fire Nation native would awaken waterbending in them. It's worth considering—I'm willing to go without waterbending if it strengthens those around me. Hmm, I could give a piece of my chi to Kanna. After all, she gave birth to Katara, who's a bender, so she's close to awakening her gift.
There've been no irreversible consequences since Yui's birth. I didn't give her a piece of my soul—if I had, things would've been worse. At the time, my chi sources were stabilizing, but my actions delayed the process by another year. I probably shared a fragment of my waterbending gift, which took about a year to fully restore. Back then, my sources weren't even activated. Now, with a mid-level spirit rank and activated sources, the recovery should take much less time. It's a worthwhile trade, but I need to open my first chakra to avoid being completely defenseless if I decide to do this.
I discussed my schedule for visiting the Southern Water Tribe with my parents. They asked me to stay home this month, but starting next month, I'll visit the other pole at least a few times a month—probably a day or two each week. I could go more often, but it's better to limit myself to leave time for bending and my bloodbending experiments, which I want to start next month.
Today, I need to finish everything, as I'm heading to the South Pole tomorrow. I should also remember to bring some wildlife with me. Over time, I'll reduce the energy consumption so I can protect not just myself during the transition.
*
This month was incredibly productive in terms of improving my healing abilities. Back in the Southern Water Tribe, while examining every resident, I noticed minor ailments that, if left untreated, could develop into more serious illnesses. In the Northern Tribe, people only visit healers when they're in severe pain. I suspect the Northern residents have just as many ailments as the Southerners.
At the Healing Huts, under the supervision of senior healers, I proved my ability to treat severe injuries. This boosted my reputation even further.
The idea of mass preventive healing came from realizing I lacked practice in this area. In the few days since becoming a senior healer, only three people with serious injuries visited us—far too few for my growth.
I had to take initiative and call a meeting to address this issue quickly. I decided to demonstrate my skills, knowing how slow the decision-making process could be. I selected people who likely had injuries or illnesses and asked their permission to diagnose them. As expected, they all had ailments causing discomfort. Nothing was urgent or life-threatening, so I treated them quickly. The effect was immediate—everyone felt much better. I had to ask the attendees to go to the Healing Huts for further treatment, as they wanted healing right then and there after seeing the results.
The healers had never experienced such a workload, not even during the war. But each healed person became living proof of our abilities, and residents began flocking to learn healing. Even ordinary people wanted to learn first aid, as our knowledge went beyond just waterbending. We had to hastily expand the old building to accommodate the influx of students. Even a few male waterbenders joined, which was unprecedented.
In the first few days, I dealt with numerous minor to moderate injuries and illnesses, which didn't challenge me enough. After some thought, I asked other healers to send me only severe cases or those they couldn't treat.
This month was incredibly fruitful. Such a leap in understanding waterbending and chi will be hard to replicate. Most severe illnesses were no longer a challenge, only the truly mysterious cases remained difficult. I gained a deeper understanding of life energy. Adding it to water now required no effort, and the energy itself became more malleable.
I discovered that the heart is the primary organ for life energy. While the entire body interacts with it, the heart acts as the central hub. This means influencing the blood with life energy could lead to the desired longevity. Essentially, the body ages when life energy peaks and declines. But if you can slightly increase its quality or quantity each time, you could live much longer.
By working with bending and chi, I realized life energy is more tangible. The lion-turtle people primarily used it before gaining their bending abilities. Bending is more ethereal, but to use it, a bender must channel it through their body's energy centers, as shown when Aang took Ozai's bending. Korra's case is similar—she still had the bending but couldn't use it. It's like having a Wi-Fi router (bending) but no driver on your laptop (body) to access the internet. Not the best analogy, but it works.
After advancing in healing, I wanted to try bloodbending. Hama apparently practiced it during the full moon on rodents, but it's not limited to that time—waterbending is just stronger then.
Finding rodents was easy—they seem to thrive anywhere. I'm not sure how long Hama studied, but in a month, I only managed to sense the blood faintly. Any control was out of the question. This requires patience, but there's still time to progress step by step.
Controlling my own blood is much easier. I even started developing a new technique called "Bloody Marionette," which could be useful if someone like Ty Lee numbs my limbs. In this technique, I infuse my blood with chi to control it. The movements are still jerky, but with practice, I might use it in combat or to escape.
I'd like to learn to gather moisture by draining plants, but the flora here is scarce. I'll either have to learn elsewhere or start experimenting with extracting water from the air, which seems much harder.
I found out the next solstice is in four months. I wish it were sooner—I'm eager to see if absorbing another spirit's essence grants me their element. It would open up so many possibilities.
*
**Southern Water Tribe**
**Kanna**
Nearly a month has passed since Yuki left us. In just one week, he became a guiding star for our small tribe. Everyone seems to have come alive, inspired by his efforts. Now, the elders actively teach the youth and children, and every day is filled with pleasant bustle.
Only now do I feel a deep sense of peace, thanks to his presence. It's embarrassing to admit, but I never felt this kind of support even from Hakoda.
I hope he returns soon. Katara goes to the place he first appeared every day, hoping to see him again. Sokka always accompanies her, making excuses each time. He's still too young to admit that Yuki has become close to him too.
Here comes Katara again, probably asking to "take a walk" outside the village, only to run to that spot as usual.
"Mom, Sokka and I want to go for a walk beyond the wall. Can we?" she asks, making her best pleading face—something she's mastered, since it worked so well on Yuki.
"Alright, but be back before sunset," I reply. I can't forbid her—she'd go anyway. I wonder where she gets her rebellious streak. Probably from me—I was quite the rebel in my youth.
Before I know it, the sun is almost gone, and the kids should be back. I might as well head over there myself. I've barely left the house all day. As I put on my coat, I hear joyful chatter outside. Peeking out, I see a crowd gathering in the center of the village. What's the celebration about?
As I approach, the crowd parts, revealing Yuki carrying a beaming Katara on one arm, her hands around his neck. With his other hand, he ruffles Sokka's hair. Sokka tries to act cool, but his lips keep curling into a smile.
I find myself smiling too. My heart feels much lighter—he's back, just as promised.