Flying is incredible—I can't imagine my life without soaring through the skies, taking in the wonders of this breathtaking world. My mood was perfect, and even my persistent assistant, Van Shi Tong, couldn't ruin it.
"Spirit fox, tell your boss I'll drop by soon!" I shouted after an hour of flight, unable to bear her unblinking stare any longer.
"In two months!" I bargained, seeing no response from her. "Fine, fine, I'll be at the Library in a month!"
I probably shouldn't have ignored her for two years. I'd often seen her deliberately dart into my line of sight, dropping hints thick enough to notice. I'd wanted to visit myself, but knowing me, I'd get stuck there for too long—something I absolutely couldn't afford. First, Kay and Shizuka would tear me apart, then Yui and Katara, and for dessert, Arnuk and Jun would join in.
"You said Van Shi Tong sent a letter?"—I'm not schizophrenic; the fox communicates through spiritual telepathy. "Alright, let's see," I agreed skeptically, sensing something fishy.
As I caught the scroll, I eyed the grinning fox with even greater caution.
"What are you waiting for? I've already—" I didn't finish before being enveloped by a higher-order energy that disrupted my own chi. Helpless, I waited for something definitely not good. "I knew it! Never trust a cunning fox!" I managed to say to the laughing spirit before feeling myself being compressed.
Next came a confusing swirl of colors, as if my body were passing through a narrow tube. I traveled at near-light speeds, which made me want to empty my stomach's contents. Still, I cursed the spirit of knowledge and her sly helpers.
"Aaaahhhh—" At this point, the sound distorted amusingly, like speaking into a running fan. Sometimes I don't even understand my own associative chains…
"Aaaahhhh—" Now my voice was panicked. I'd just been spat out near the ceiling of Van Shi Tong's Library. The floor was still twenty meters below—the shelves here were tall, so the ceilings were too. And my chi still wasn't cooperating!
"Van Shi Tong, I'm sorry! I was already planning to come! I swear on my tooth!" Falling from this height might not kill me, but it wouldn't be pleasant either.
"You'll lose all your teeth someday," a large owl caught me just before I hit the ground. "Save your sweet talk for your women; it won't charm me. For two years, you've traveled around the Shi Wong Desert but never visited the spirit who gave you a second life. Is this your gratitude, Yuki?" It all sounded calm, but it sent more chills down my spine than any dark ancient spirit I'd met.
"I'm sorry, I just love reading and learning new things—it's all so fascinating. I was afraid I'd lose myself in all the knowledge here," I tried to explain under the piercing gaze of the spirit's massive black eyes.
"Hmm… You're telling the truth," Van Shi Tong concluded, no longer resembling a coiled cobra ready to strike. "I admire those who value knowledge, but I respect those who keep their promises even more! People are fickle. Recently, someone swore not to misuse the Library's knowledge but ended up burning all records of the Fire Nation and the spirits Tui and La. Knowledge is for creation, not destruction! Now I'll be more cautious about who I allow into my sanctuary," he said. "Be careful. That's why he burned all records of the Moon and Ocean spirits—they once helped your people master waterbending. I hope you can protect them. I won't keep you long. Once you leave your knowledge here, you're free to go."
"I didn't expect this sudden visit, so I didn't bring my writings," I admitted, scratching my nose in embarrassment.
"No problem. As long as it's in your head," he said, flapping his wing as a fox suddenly appeared with a scroll in its mouth. "I created this scroll myself. No ink needed—just your thoughts. The text will appear on its own."
"Seriously?! Why did I waste so much paper writing?!"
"Very convenient," I tried to sound less emotional, hiding my true "excitement."
"My assistant will take you to your old room. When you're done, don't leave immediately. We need to discuss a serious issue," he said, intriguing me. Ancient spirits have ancient problems, and I'm not in his league yet, but I can always listen. "Oh, and Wong sends his regards. He's eager to meet you again." Good ol' Wong, how's he doing?
"Is he okay?" I asked while Van Shi Tong was still chatty.
"What could happen to him? He's smart enough not to provoke powerful spirits."
"That's good," I said. If he hadn't been there back then, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. "Last question: How did you transport me? Can I learn this? Will you teach me?" My eyes lit up, and even Van Shi Tong took a step back from my intensity.
"You can't do this," he stated firmly. Before I could feel disappointed, he continued, "But you might do something even better. Ancient spirits are concepts, and each of us has unique abilities. Especially since my theory was correct—you already master three elements. Who knows what surprises await you?" he said mysteriously, clearly knowing something. "I won't say more. Time is knowledge! Start filling the scroll," he said, already flying away.
"Now it's just us, heh-heh-heh," I said menacingly to the fox who'd sent me here. "Come here, let me pet you—gently! Hey, stop!" I shouted after the vanished spirit. Just you wait.
*
"This was harder than I thought," I muttered, setting down the filled scroll.
At first, it seemed simple: think about what you want to write, and it appears. But the devil's in the details. The first few hours were fast, but over time, my thoughts started jumping around. Focusing on one thing became harder; my mind craved change, something else to do.
But Van Shi Tong kept me locked in the room. Everything was set up for me to finish quickly: toilet, bath, bed, and mysteriously appearing food. I'd rate the room two stars—only the service sucked. The manager refused to let me out.
The effort was immense, likely what the cunning spirit intended, so I'd want to finish quickly. Turns out, I know a lot, but only superficially. Drop me in the Middle Ages, and I wouldn't make a single discovery.
"Let me out! I'm done!" I shouted into the void. "Finally, Dobby is free!" I ran through the opened door, breathing in the sweet air of freedom—even if it was slightly stale and earthy…
"I believed in you, Yuki. Even I couldn't fill so many words in three days," Van Shi Tong appeared behind me as always. Was he mocking me? I'd pluck his feathers if I weren't so magnanimous—and if I weren't afraid of him. I just know I'll be stronger in the future; then we'll talk spirit to half-spirit.
"Enough laughing," he was the only one laughing, thankfully not out loud. "What do you know about the Harmonic Convergence?" he asked, gesturing for me to follow him.
"It's the battle between light and dark—Raava and Vaatu—happening every ten thousand years when the planets align and the spirit portals at the North and South Poles connect. The winner rules the world for the next ten thousand years. The last battle was won by the spirit of light, thanks to Avatar Wan's help." I didn't like this question; it smelled global…
"Correct. Then you should understand this," he pointed to a wall displaying a star system with intricately carved, painted planets. Below them was a countdown: seventy-seven years and nine months… something familiar.
So the countdown ends in the 171st year after the Air Nomad genocide? Wait, that can't be right.
'In seventy-nine years, there'll be a new Harmonic Convergence?" I asked, shocked, turning to Van Shi Tong.
"Exactly. Soon, a fateful clash awaits. Will we see a new world order?" he asked, and I didn't understand. "As a young spirit, I wanted to learn everything about this world, especially Raava and Vaatu, who've always been here. After millennia of research, I can confidently say the spirit of darkness has a much greater chance of winning!" Great, Owl, don't scare me like that. I want to live carefree for another three hundred years.
"Good always defeats evil!" I said naively, but immediately deflated under the spirit's heavy gaze. "Cough, what's the evidence?" I asked, composed.
"Seventy percent of all spirits are dark—unprecedented in my memory. This shows Vaatu is only growing stronger. Right now, he's held back by a barrier created by Wan, but once it disappears, Vaatu will regain his full power. Raava has lived in human souls for ten thousand years, even avatars, who can't channel large amounts of energy. So the spirit of light hasn't restored its strength. It powers the avatar, contains Vaatu, and sustains light spirits—all energy is used, with no reserve. If anything, it's decreasing.
I want to be in the canon world! Why so complicated!
"You wouldn't have started this if you didn't have a solution, right?" I asked, calming down as I saw Van Shi Tong wasn't nervous.
"Their essence is endless conflict. We need to return them to their natural environment. To keep their battles from harming humans and spirits, we can try to contain them with a barrier like the one separating the human and spirit worlds. The key is to keep them in but let their excess energy flow freely to maintain balance," he explained his plan. It sounds great but has too many nuances.
"Where will we get so much energy?"
"From other spirits and benders, of course. You need to become the absolute law in the human world, so when the time comes, you can mobilize all benders of the four elements, regardless of skill. Every bit of energy will count. While you create the barrier, we spirits will protect you from the enraged dark spirits, who won't let us finish. They'll be severely weakened by the barrier," he dumped so many problems on me. I knew I wouldn't be thrown into this world for no reason—there's always a planetary-scale problem. Standard.
"How will Vaatu's victory affect the human world?" I remember what happens to light spirits—they change their nature. Over time, only dark spirits will remain.
"The human and spirit worlds are halves of a whole. So, over time, his energy will permeate the human world, gradually bringing out your dark side: cruelty, cunning, selfishness—all amplified tenfold. Anarchy will ensue. I'm not sure who'll be worse: the constantly hungry dark spirits or humans sacrificing thousands for their ambitions…"
I'm in deep now. No backing out.
"Or maybe we could, you know," I gestured to my neck.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Van Shi Tong burst into laughter. I wish I hadn't seen that—his head tilted back a full ninety degrees, like a horror scene. "The last time I laughed like this was three thousand years ago, oof," he wiped away tears with his wing, then suddenly stood inches from me. "Even if we had the power to kill, I wouldn't let you. You'd doom us all. Let me explain simply: our world is them. Each of us has light and dark, creation and destruction, harmony and chaos. Killing one would be grand suicide. Though… you'd survive. Your neutral source filters all energy, but would you be happy in an empty world?"
"It wouldn't be great," I admitted, cautiously stepping back. Too close, Tong—we're not like that. Keep your distance.
"I've given you food for thought. Once you've considered it, come see me. We'll discuss details. Now it's time to go. And this is for making me wait two years," he said, touching me with his claw. I felt that familiar compression.
"Van Shi Tong!" I shouted indignantly as I was squeezed and sent down the tube.