Same day. A simple lunch with close family.
"Did you overexert yourself during bending training?" Suyuki asked her mother understandingly. She had been moving cautiously and slowly all day.
"Yes, that's it," Shizuka replied, forcing a smile.
"Oh, your mom tried a new exercise this morning—one we've been preparing for weeks," I said with a faint smirk.
While Suyuki slept, I finally managed to do what I'd planned. There was one promise left, and I didn't hesitate to use it. I hadn't prepared her backside for this ordeal for nothing. But only recently did I find the perfect oil for anal play. I needed to make her first time as enjoyable as possible so she'd want to do it again. It went perfectly! Her face, twisted in lust, will stay with me for a long time.
"It must've been something difficult—Mom hasn't been herself since that strange trial," Suyuki nodded, then wriggled on my lap, looking into my eyes. "Will you show it to me too?!"
"Of course I will! But it's only allowed after you turn sixteen," I hesitated, as Shizuka kicked my leg under the table. That's real teamwork! She'd anticipated what I'd say and tried to prevent… the inevitable.
"Don't forget your words," she warned, wagging a finger at me.
If Shizuka had Toph in her family, she'd have glared a hole through me by now. Reminding her that I'm essentially her daughter's age doesn't help, and no one's forcing anyone. Let her grow up and make her own choices first.
The atmosphere at the table was oddly tense. Suyuki carelessly ate her rice porridge, swinging her legs playfully. Judging by Shizuka's eyes, she still wanted to do something unpleasant to my body. Driya sat apart, lost in her own world. Speaking of her…
"Should I curse Aunt Lan or thank her? That's the question," I'd been thinking for hours. Peeping was still somewhat normal, but growing a leaf that looked like a sponge, licking up all our… remnants? Maybe I missed something in Aunt Lan's books? Driya couldn't have come up with such perversions on her own, could she? What's she muttering now?
"Mmm, I can't wait to taste Yuki's fresh chi," Driya murmured, smacking her lips. "Yuki was right, as always—you shouldn't believe everything you read. Aunt Lan said men's chi tastes disgusting, but even here, my Yuki proved her wrong. But it's still not enough," she patted her belly. "They say we don't appreciate what we have. How could she miss out on so much deliciousness?" She shot Shizuka an envious glance. Time to distract everyone!
"Your cooking, as always, is beyond praise," I paid tribute to Shizuka's talents. "Let's go test your new abilities," I said, lifting Suyuki onto my shoulders.
"It's about time!" she cheered immediately.
The others hurried after us—or rather, Shizuka tried to hurry, waddling like a penguin. Driya, still lost in her fantasies, followed automatically.
After an hour of Suyuki's huffing and puffing, we could draw conclusions. The earthbending in her body was activated, earth energy flowed freely through her channels, gradually expanding and strengthening them. Now she could barely move a small stone—well, "manipulate" is too strong a word. Sometimes she managed to nudge it slightly. That's a more honest description.
"You only became an earthbender today. Did you really think you'd split boulders or cause earthquakes with your steps?" I patted Suyuki's head. Judging by her averted gaze, that's exactly what she'd hoped. "There's no rush. Our connection is still forming, and my fragment in you hasn't dissolved yet—so expect your strength to grow."
"Look what I can do now," Suyuki said, concentrating hard, her emotions screaming, "Praise me, praise me!"
"Wow!" I genuinely exclaimed. For a first-timer, she'd figured it out quickly. "Good girl," I hugged her, feeling waves of joy and love in return. Suyuki never refused hugs or other displays of affection—she reveled in them.
Banyan's method proved more suitable. I'd need to stay close to Suyuki for about a month, preferably hugging her all day—which Suyuki loved. My fragment in her would gain strength faster. Once it reached a certain "mass," it would dissolve into her energy. Suyuki's earthbending abilities were natural, so my gifted fragment wasn't yet factored in. But once the process was complete, she'd have the potential to be a powerful earthbender.
By my calculations, I'd be without bending for just over five months, with a chance of still making it to the Spirit World.
The weather was consistently unpredictable. Half the day was always a storm, the other half was sweltering heat. What had I done? Nothing! No bending, just sitting and fanning myself with a homemade fan. I had nothing to do—apparently, I'd spent a lot of time training in bending. Now I was bored, not knowing how to occupy myself. I couldn't spend all day indulging in amorous pleasures—Shizuka had her duties, and Suyuki held my hand all day.
"Master Yuki, Master Yuki!" Ah, how it sounds! So weighty.
"Yes, yes, Ayumi?" One of those who secretly watched my physical training. It's nice to be the wet dream of lovely ladies—it boosts my already inflated ego.
"Unagi came ashore, and it's… trying to say something," she began confidently but ended awkwardly. "It's making noises and swimming back and forth," she added. Interesting, worth checking out.
"Let's go quickly!" Suyuki already tugged at my hand. Entertainment was scarce here, so any event was a sensation.
At a respectable distance from the shore, all the villagers had gathered, discussing Unagi's strange behavior with growing murmurs. As soon as the King of these waters saw me, he locked eyes with me, then bowed his head like a human. This… was intense. Even when I rode him, his spirit wasn't subdued, but now something serious had happened, forcing him to ask for my help. But even knowing this, I couldn't trust him immediately. My body was weaker than ever, and I couldn't overpower him physically. One thought came to mind…
"Fox spirit! Wan Shi Tong, send your assistant here! I know you can hear me!" I shouted, startling the crowd. A minute passed, and keeping a straight face without blushing became harder.
"What do you want?" a voice said right behind me. Damn, both Wan Shi Tong and his assistants have this strange habit of appearing unnoticed right behind me.
Another theory confirmed—I'm a valuable asset watched by Wan Shi Tong. My death is the last thing he wants. There's something about me… And I'd bet it's connected to our plans.
"Can you talk to Unagi and tell me what he wants or needs?" I asked. Eliza Thornberry's gift would've been handy here. "And I'll forget about your portal stunt," I added immediately.
"As if I care," the fox spirit snorted. "But you won't stop bothering me, will you?" So perceptive. "Fine, but don't call me for trivialities again," she flicked her tail dismissively.
"Mom, brother summoned the fox spirit!" I heard a girl whisper loudly in the background. "I want to do that too! I want a cute, blind badgermole spirit! Badgermole spirit! I know you can hear me, please come to me!" That same girl who'd wanted to ride Unagi, just like me… She hadn't changed.
The fox spirit then enlightened me about Unagi's problem. First, Unagi was female! In my defense, I'm no zoologist—just an ordinary person who determines gender by the presence of a penis or eggs. Second, she was expecting offspring—that was the issue. Unagi was a mutated water-bending snake spirit that had degraded over time, but genetically, or through ancestral memory, her kind attempted to return to their roots. She couldn't change herself, but she could try to strengthen her offspring, which she'd been doing all this time.
During Avatar Kyoshi's era, when she separated her island from the continent, a natural water energy source formed beneath the island. Unagi had claimed it, laying her eggs there. For years, they'd fed on pure water energy, theoretically bringing them closer to their ancestors—a transitional phase: bending creatures, not yet spirits, but no longer "mongrels." That's why she hadn't left the island's territory—she was protecting her children. Natural sources have a way of drying up, and that's what was happening now. She was smart enough to realize that the bad person who loved riding her and could waterbend might help.
A model mother, ready to find any way to save her children. They were in the final stage of maturation and couldn't be born without being fully saturated with energy.
"I don't have bending right now, but let's try," I agreed. I wasn't risking anything, but I was curious to see what would happen. "Say hi to the Owl for me. Tell her I'll visit soon," I said, bidding the fox spirit farewell.
Clinging to one of Unagi's whiskers, we plunged into the depths. I had thirty minutes—that's how long I could hold my breath. Three minutes passed, and I already felt unwell. I'd never dived this deep during my chakra-opening training.
I thought I'd kick the bucket before we swam into a cave. I couldn't see anything at that depth—it was as dark as a dark cave. But I felt the passage was almost perfectly fitted for Unagi, while my body scraped against the cave walls. Bruises and cuts were inevitable, but my clothes would protect me from the rest. They were worth as much as a medium-sized city in the Earth Kingdom, made from spider silk—not from an ordinary spider, but one from a spirit world! Super elastic and strong, though it clung too tightly, like a wetsuit. But for protection, I could endure it.
We stopped, and I groped around, grabbing a round object the size of a soccer ball—an egg. Another, and another, probably the last one. My hands were full of eggs—how could I hold on now? I released the eggs, wrapped Unagi's whisker around my body—such a versatile whisker!
While I was busy, I hadn't noticed, but now I felt the outflow of water energy! It shouldn't have happened, but the eggs were forcibly draining energy from me, and the process was accelerating. I didn't realize Unagi had already brought me to shallow water. Opening my eyes, I saw three pearlescent eggs in my hands, shimmering beautifully in the sunlight. The energy outflow slowed when about ten percent of my energy remained. Now the outflow was barely noticeable, though it was still there. Likely, there were periods when they entered a boosted mode and consumed large amounts of energy. Alright, we'd observe.
"Time to upgrade my waterbending!" they'd help me develop my channels and source while bending was inaccessible.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of your children," I gently stroked my living trainers.