After the incident with Unagi, people began to recall the spirits that once felt so close. Many stories and legends took on a completely new meaning. For several weeks, there was nothing but excitement over this topic. Every evening, the villagers gathered in the center of the village around the bonfire and shared everything they had ever heard from their parents or grandparents.
The stories ran out quickly… After all, the few inhabitants of Kiyoshi Island grew up in a small community, but this didn't stop them—it only added to their enthusiasm. They started making up stories on the spot. I also love to spin a yarn, especially since I've seen many spirits with my own eyes. These gatherings reminded me of summer camps, where, among ancient trees and fresh air, the entire squad—or even several—would come together. It was the most carefree time.
The situation with the eggs added a touch of comedy. The future rulers of the waters required a constant flow of chi, and I never left them for a moment. By the next day, I realized how hard it is for all creatures—animals that spend days, even weeks, hatching their offspring. I had to make a backpack so I could go about my business without worrying about forgetting the little Unagi.
But these small worries were more than offset by the benefits they brought me through their simple development. At first, I thought they could only enhance my chi channels and source, but I was deeply mistaken—it was more like a pleasant bonus. The main advantage is understanding the processes that nature or the world embeds in these amazing creatures. I had never seen or felt how the element of water behaves when creating life. It was this understanding of the birth of waterbending creatures that gave me a qualitative leap in my waterbending mastery.
I already know that with the activation of my chi, a natural transition to a higher rank in the water element will follow. So, it's time to think about new elements. It's a serious matter, so I should read Van Shi Tong's records about the inhabitants of the Spirit Realm. The library awaits me in its embrace, but I should warn Driya not to read books of questionable content.
Driya may not realize it, but with her sunny personality, she naturally draws people to her. I was afraid her attractive appearance would create a rift among the women and girls, but it seems I worried for nothing. The Kiyoshi warriors warmly welcomed my companion, and now she can be seen among the other island residents. I hope they don't spoil her, though… knowing the kind of books she's read, I wonder who will end up spoiling whom…
"Where am I standing?" I asked Suyuki, who stood with a bandage over her eyes.
For a whole week, Suyuki has been walking barefoot and with her eyes closed. I think the sooner she learns seismicsensitivity, the faster her control over the element will develop—though there are no complaints about that yet. The girl has been accustomed to discipline and hard work since childhood. Where others rely on talent, she relies on her perseverance.
"Here," she pointed at me with her finger. Let's complicate the task.
"Correct!" I sent her my approval through our connection. "Now, I'll start moving. Ready?" Seeing her determined nod, I began walking in a random direction. As the exercise progressed, I gradually picked up the pace, and by the end, I was jogging lightly. I could have gone at full speed, but only at a gentle pace do I avoid making noise that she could use to determine my location.
"So? How did it go?" Suyuki asked impatiently, practically dancing in place.
"Perfect! Only a few possess such a useful skill—you have every reason to be proud!" I messed up her hairstyle. "Hold on," I held back Suyuki's glowing hand as she tried to remove the bandage. "We need to let your eyes gradually adjust to the light. We'll take off the bandage at home, with the curtains closed."
"Yippee! Soon I'll be able to hunt koi fish again!" She raised her fist in the air. Suyuki's favorite technique is simply throwing a stone—basically the most basic technique for earthbenders, which is why many don't stop at it and move on to more complex methods. But effectiveness lies in simplicity! Why invent tricks when it's often enough to accurately hurl a stone at someone's head?
We involved Unagi in this endeavor. She would spend whole days sadly looking toward the village, apparently missing her children. To keep the snake from looking even more gloomy, we decided to distract her with something else. Suyuki came up with a small game to improve accuracy: Unagi dives underwater and scares the fish toward the shore, where a little surprise awaits them in the form of an earthbender. The stunned or already dead fish are immediately picked up by local fishermen—no sense in letting good fish go to waste! Two birds with one stone!
My intimate moments with Shizuka felt somehow rushed, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the audience had only grown, especially when I had the backpack on. You move forward, and then the eggs hit you in the back—it sounds awkward, but that's how it is.
Sometimes, we're visited by little Kiyoshi—that's what they decided to name the girl I helped deliver. The first earthbender born on Kiyoshi Island has the right to bear the proud name of its founder. Kiyoshi can already walk and talk, as if it was only yesterday that I saw her tiny bottom being spanked. Looking at her, I realized once again how fleeting time is… Good thing I spend it only on what I love!
By the end of the fifth week of my stay on the Island, my fragment had accumulated enough "mass" to nourish Suyuki's gift until it fully dissolves.
"Is everything really okay? It doesn't seem like enough," Suyuki said for what felt like the hundredth time. She had grown too fond of sleeping with us in the same bed. But there's no longer a need for such close contact.
"Yes, everything's fine. Now you can sleep in your own room," I replied for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Yuki will only sleep with me now," Shizuka stuck out her tongue at Suyuki, wrapping her arms around me from behind. "And what's gotten into you? Why are you adding fuel to the fire?!" she whispered in my ear. "Keep an eye on her face—she's so adorable when she's angry."
There it is—her face is slightly flushed, her cheeks puffed up, and her eyes—her eyes are shooting daggers! A real combat hamster!
"Hmph," she finally lifted her nose. "I was only asking Yuki. Don't butt into other people's conversations," she added, waving her hand dismissively. A worthy response from Suyuki—I gave her a mental thumbs-up.
"So that's how you talk to your mother!" Shizuka pretended to take the bait, though she couldn't hide her smile. "Someone's in for it now," she threw a pillow at Suyuki.
"You need to practice your accuracy more!" Suyuki dodged the projectile and immediately ran out of the room—just in time, as Shizuka wasn't planning to stop there and chased after her.
From another room, Driya's head popped out, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. Without even knowing the situation, she decided to join the chase.
"Save me, Yuki!" I heard a cry for help from outside the house.
"I want to play tag too!" And there's Driya…
"Divine tickle technique!" Shizuka is feeling playful today.
"Ha-ha-ha, I give up, I give up, stop!" came Suyuki's laughter.
"What kind of ruckus is this in the middle of the night," I shook my head with a smile, but—"I'm coming to the rescue!" I shouted, running after them.
*
"They're about to hatch!" I yelled to the other inhabitants of the house as soon as I saw one of the eggs begin to crack.
In less than five seconds, everyone stared expectantly at the eggs, which, following the first, started showing signs of imminent hatching.
After a minute, the first one broke through the shell… a dragonling? Its blue-tinted face resembled that of a Chinese dragon: the same whiskers, small horns, short legs, and a rather fierce jawline. Scanning the entire room with its intelligent eyes, the dragonling took its first unsteady steps toward me. It recognizes me! After the first, the others emerged. The second one was white, and the third was quite unusual—its scales were red. Who fathered Unagi's eggs? Maybe it was the dragons revered by the Sun Warriors? Like Ran and Shao, perhaps. Oh well, I won't pry into their personal affairs.
Unable to resist its amusing appearance, I decided to pick it up—though I still don't know how to determine its gender. As soon as my skin touched the little body of the advanced Unagi form, my water chi began to be absorbed.
"Wasn't it enough for you?! This is the last day I'm feeding you. From now on, let your mother take care of you."
The next day, like a true man, I kept my word and handed the joyful mother her children. That's how the story would have ended, if not for the night when I felt a brazen intrusion into the house. Scanning with my senses, I found out who had come to visit us.
"What are you doing here?!" I whispered, looking at the faces of the future dragons as they struggled to climb up the blanket onto the bed.
I couldn't shoo them away. Curling up at my feet, they began doing what was natural to them—draining my reserve. I could have forced them out, but my hand wouldn't lift… Plus, they make this cute purring sound when they sleep. My weakness is cats—in my past life, I even walked quietly around the house while the cat was sleeping. Sometimes, it felt like I wasn't the one in charge…
They came for two more nights. I thought I'd never be rid of them, but it turned out to be simpler: their "organ" responsible for absorbing external chi, which contains many impurities, was still tuning, so they kept coming to me.
I thought I wouldn't get to see their abilities, but what they showed during their play was enough to understand the basic differences between them. The first one, with blue scales, can already shoot a water stream—and all this without any water reservoir like Unagi's mother. It gathers water from the air! Lucky thing—ordinary waterbenders need years to achieve that, but some creatures come with these "default drivers installed."
The second one, with white coloring, calmly shoots ice needles—though they're just simple needles for now. Once it grows up, those needles will turn into massive spears. I already feel sorry for the ship captains who might lose not only their vessels but also their lives.
The red one creates high temperatures with its body alone, causing water near it to boil as if it were hot. It can exhale hot steam, though its attack range is short. Still, it already has more pronounced musculature and looks physically stronger than its siblings.
It wouldn't be bad to secure their support in the future. The ocean is their home, and I can see them emerging from the water to swiftly attack enemy ships—before the enemies can counterattack, they're already back underwater. There's a good chance of this happening because I fed them my chi, so they see me as a strange but close relative who was just unlucky to be born so ugly, without scales or a tail. Well, that's how I interpret their pitying glances at my skin.
There's a good chance they'll be more intelligent and smarter than their mother. Another factor is the insufficient local chi—it's not noticeable while they're small, but for full development, they'll need to move to other places.
I'll be able to lure two of them to the North Pole—the environment is suitable, and there's the Spirit Oasis nearby. I think they'll like it. As for the red one, it's a big question mark. I think it would be much more comfortable near the Fire Nation Archipelago, where there are many volcanoes. I won't make any plans yet—let them grow up first.
As for Driya and me, we should hurry to the Shi Wong Desert. Knowledge awaits.