A month later, I once again set out to explore the vast expanses of the Earth Kingdom. This time, my destination was the Foggy Swamp—it was high time to visit the tribe living there, our kin.
What did I already know about them? Only what was shown in the animated series itself. The swamp is essentially one giant banyan tree, its roots spreading across the entire territory and extending even further. The place is, to put it mildly, unusual. Just the visions it sends to the Avatar's team are something else.
Some of the waterbenders can control the water in plants, like their main spiritual leader, Hue. The comics I've read suggest this skill isn't limited to the swamp dwellers—Katara demonstrated that in the extended version.
"One less mystery," I muttered, sensing a powerful higher spirit. The closer I flew to the swamp, the more certain I became that the spirit was the tree itself. But why did a duality emerge? Could there be two spirits there?
Well, I'll find out soon. Time to descend. I managed to sense two signatures of mid-level waterbenders.
"Look, Tu, there's someone flying," a voice said, oddly enough, with an absurdly silly tone. "Seems like they're heading here. What should we do?"
"The vines haven't entangled them yet, so they don't have malicious intent. Let's see what they say," replied Tu.
Using the "eagle vision" of the Yu Yan archers, I recognized the famous duo of swampbenders—Tu and Due. Due seemed tall and lanky, while Tu was stocky with a stubble. As I flew closer, I stopped manipulating the water, letting it merge with the swamp. It's so great not to carry water with you—you can take it from the air anytime.
"Seems like it was waterbending," Due scratched his head. "Are we relatives? You're kinda good-looking. Why were you hiding in the tribe? I've never seen you before," he added. Oh, Tu, I already feel sorry for you…
"I'm Tu, this is Due. And who are you?" Tu asked calmly, not even reacting to Due's words. Guess he's used to it.
"Yuki, from the Northern Water Tribe. I heard there's another Water Tribe in the Earth Kingdom, so I decided to check it out and chat," I replied. Better to use my real name here—I'll gain more trust.
"Even in the north, there are waterbenders?" Due asked, even slowing the boat. "Hue only talked about the southern one. So, we have so many relatives. We should definitely visit them," he decided.
"Looks like we won't hunt today," Tu muttered. "Jump in the boat. We'll take you to the tribe," he called me over. "And how many of us, waterbenders, are there in the outside world?" he asked curiously.
"There used to be more. The Hundred Year War took most of the Southern Water Tribe's people. Now, the remaining members live with us in the north," I told him, sharing common knowledge.
"Huh? There was a war?" Due asked, slowing the boat even more.
"You guys never leave the swamp, huh? Didn't notice any movements?" Wow, the Foggy Swamp seems untouched by the war.
"About ten years ago, the vines entangled some guys in black-and-red armor. Sometimes, others like them appeared from different parts of the swamp, but we're used to it," Tu shrugged. "Our Sacred Tree senses hostile intentions of all living beings, so it doesn't let them pass," he explained. Hard to believe everyone was too weak to resist the vines. It's not like fighting the higher spirit itself—more like an instinctive reaction to get rid of irritants. Especially since outsiders here see illusions. But are they just visions? Maybe they're probabilities of the future…
"I thought everyone in the world started wearing such armor. I even tried wearing it myself, but it's too hot, and it takes forever to take off," Due continued. I just want to say, Due—you're such a Due…
"So many new acquaintances. Just a week ago, a beautiful girl appeared here. I've never seen anyone like her. Can't wait to see her again," the guy said, clearly smitten. Due went on even more passionately, "Even her greenish skin tone doesn't ruin her. And the way she controls plants is amazing!" Intriguing! There's no such story in what I know.
"Better watch the road," Tu had to intervene, steering the boat to the left to avoid a thick root. "She wouldn't even look at you," he threw a disdainful glance at his companion.
"You're just jealous of my beauty. Look at these muscles," Due flexed his arms, where there wasn't even a hint of muscles…
For the rest of the journey, I focused on how Due manipulated water. Nothing new, really—their style is rougher, with sharp and sweeping movements. But it's effective for controlling the swamp's water, which is stagnant and "heavier" to manage.
As we approached the settlement, I began to fully sense two higher spirits, and one of them—rather, *she*—felt very familiar…
"Yuki!" Before I knew it, I was in the strong embrace of a beautiful nymph. "I've been a higher spirit for a while now, but you were nowhere to be found. Were you avoiding me? Didn't you want to see me?" she babbled immediately… Dria, who else could it be.
"Mph, mmph," I tried to respond, which wasn't easy with my face buried in her ample chest. As you've guessed, I wasn't in a hurry to break free. A makeshift bra made of thin, soft leaves allowed me to feel her excited nipples. Are they this happy to see me?
"Ha, ha," as much as I didn't want to interrupt this sweet torture, I still can't breathe through my pores. "Hi, Dria," I almost called her Poison Ivy—she looks just like the famous Gotham City criminal. Achieving full higher spirit status has done wonders for her appearance. If before I saw only a growing teenager, now standing before me was a woman in her prime. A waterfall of fiery hair, surprisingly pleasant greenish skin, and as the cherry on top, her revealing outfit left little to the imagination but plenty for fantasy.
Back then, she also had something resembling clothes, but as she admitted, it appeared on its own. She wouldn't have thought to cover herself—the concept of shame over nudity was simply foreign to her. So, is there a moral police in this world? Or did the higher powers that created this world pre-program different clothing templates into the spirits' evolutionary chains? I'm getting off track—this is a world based on a cartoon. Where's the logic in that?
"You should understand how the Spirit World works. I've been trying to find you for two years. I've visited some places even after you left."
"Hmm," Dria frowned, and I thought the worst, but then—"Well, at least now we'll be together. Wherever you go, I'll follow," she immediately brightened up. "Let's go to the tree. I'll tell you how I got here along the way," she said, the old Dria just wanting to chat.
Taking my arm, she led me upward. Did she always smell so floral? Breathing in her scent, I felt a growing warmth in my body—not a sign of illness, but something far more pleasant. A passive aphrodisiac? Or a deliberate attempt at seduction?
Others don't seem affected—they're just ogling her figure, a normal reaction to her stunning body.
"She already had a boyfriend. That's why my charms didn't work on her. Now it all makes sense," I heard Due say…
Listening half-heartedly to her chatter, I noticed her pressing closer, speaking more intimately, her tongue almost touching my ear. I've never experienced such assertiveness before. With Kai and Shizuka, the initiative was mostly mine. And where did Dria pick this up? Who should I thank?
So, where did it all begin? Her unexpected inheritance a week ago made itself known. Wandering the Spirit World, she felt a familial call from the tree's roots. To be precise, the tree itself wasn't visible—only its roots protruded from the surface near an unknown sea. Touching them, she tuned into a dialogue with the local tree spirit. The spirit who left her the inheritance is a "relative" of the local banyan—they shared the same roots, growing together. One stayed in the Spirit World, while the other went to the human world, where it still lives.
Learning that his kin had decided to leave this world, he chose to care for his successor. Creating a breach in the barrier for two higher spirits wasn't difficult, especially since the tree spirit maintained a small, constant channel between the worlds. For its growth, it needed too little energy from this world—most came from the Spirit World. That's why the Foggy Swamp, after millennia, hasn't dried up, and the tree itself only grows taller and larger.
Dria was grateful for the opportunity. In the human world, she had a better chance of finding me. Now, she's training, practicing all the techniques the kind spirit left her. Upon joining the higher spirits, she realized how dangerous her world was, but her desire to explore never faded. With great power, she could calmly conquer lands previously unknown to her, so the local spirit's help was just what she needed.
"Sometimes I wonder how I managed to survive," she laughed. I completely agree—luck has clearly kissed you passionately. "Let's go. I'll introduce you to Banyan."
Touching the tree's trunk, I felt the touch of a foreign mind in return. I hate it when spirits communicate through images, but I'll have to endure it. After several minutes of headaches, I began to understand the local spirit much better. His name was literally just Banyan…
As it turned out, this place had its quirks even before his arrival. The currents of time here were already "twisted," causing people to sometimes see things from the past, long-dead loved ones, or future events. That's what he loves about it. Tuning into these currents, he can daily observe various events and future branching paths. For a long-lived spirit, there's nothing scarier than boredom—this swamp has kept him entertained for centuries.
The swamp tribe is like his own children. He taught them to control water in plants, admitting it was his attempt to instill full-fledged plantbending in them. Of course, it didn't work immediately, but they're making progress—the local benders' energy no longer feels like pure waterbending. There are small traces of tree and earth energies. Maybe in a couple of millennia, the first plantbenders, treebenders, or even naturebenders will appear here.
"Isn't his way of communicating funny? Images keep flashing in my head," maybe I'll get used to it eventually. "Oh no, here comes Hue. Save me, or he'll start droning on again: 'We are all branches of the same tree, and death and time are just illusions,'" she mocked Hue's voice.
"Hello, brother from the Northern Tribe," Hue approached us—not Jackman, just a plain guy in nothing but a loincloth…