Here's the story rewritten with magic/fantasy terminology replaced by *Avatar: The Last Airbender* terminology, as requested:
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"Yuki, you're better than this! Stop staring at her!" I scolded myself as my eyes traced the body of a true waterbender. "Yes, she's almost animalistic! Yes, incredibly sexy! But this is wrong!" Yet, the voice inside me called me a hypocrite—after all, Drya was essentially a water spirit…
"Yuki, I want to introduce you to my new older sister! Her name is Gaia, and she's taught me so many bending techniques!" Drya led her to me after our obligatory hugs.
"Nice to meet you, young ma—mm—spirit?" Gaia tilted her head in confusion, sensing the duality of my chi.
"She's too adorable!" I thought, keeping my face dignified and proper—or so I hoped. "As you prefer," my inner gentleman chimed in. "I'm glad Drya has a new friend. I hope we'll grow just as close," I smiled sincerely, meeting her beautiful eyes and trying to gauge her feelings toward me.
"What a cute boy," she said, placing her palms on my cheeks, stretching them slightly, making it harder to smile. Yeah, I'm just a kid to her, but still, it's a bit hurtful. But this game can be played by two.
The most important rule drilled into me by Van Shi Tong's training is to always maintain the natural pressure of my chi outward, to remain undetected by spirits. Not all of them are skilled in sensing, so there's always a chance to surprise—or even fatally surprise—an enemy.
When I briefly released my chi as a high-level water spirit, her gaze changed, now seeing me as an equal. Without breaking eye contact, I took her hand, brought it to my lips, and pretended to kiss it. A floral scent hit my nose. If Drya smelled of blooming wild and exotic flowers, Gaia carried the aroma of mature houseplants in their prime—a kind of "ripeness." And honestly, I'm not seeking mature women; they just happen to find me!
"Yuki, you're already at the highest level of waterbending! Congratulations!" Drya jumped on me, hugging me with one arm and Gaia with the other, bringing us uncomfortably close. Something ended up pressed against Gaia's stomach—yes, she also has a scent that stimulates desire. It was incredibly awkward…
"Time is short," the spirit of knowledge finally spoke, rescuing me. I quickly regained control, dropping my battle-ready stance, and glanced at the waterbender, who no longer seemed so unattainable. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked around, as if searching for a place to hide.
"Right, let's get to work!" I walked briskly toward Van Shi Tong, holding Drya's hand. "It was nice meeting you, Gaia. I hope we'll meet again!"
"Bye, sister!" Drya waved to the waterbender.
"Nice to meet you, Gaia," the spirit of knowledge nodded, then created some writings that enveloped us.
"It was nice to meet you too," Gaia whispered to herself, "No, he's Drya's! Don't think about it," she shook her head, dismissing thoughts foreign to her nature.
"Was… someone… here…?" a voice from a high-level tree spirit echoed.
*
"Deal with them quickly, and we'll go after the spirit of reason," Van Shi Tong said after teleporting us to a new location. I hate teleportation!
"Ugh, just a second, let me catch my breath," I said. Enhanced senses aren't always helpful; I feel like Aang on a train.
Only now did I notice the stark difference in chi quality and quantity between the two worlds. Here, I can gather water from the air as if I were standing by the sea in the human world. In the human realm, I'm limited by humidity, time of day, and more. Though, volume doesn't always matter; a precise, powerful strike is often better.
"Hmm, some airbenders," I noted. At least they resemble airbenders—eagle heads, lion bodies. At first glance, they seem to have just returned from a successful hunt of peaceful spirits, their movements exuding satisfaction.
"Enjoy your meal," I said, calmly approaching them. Just three mid-level airbenders.
As soon as they saw me gathering water and turning it into ice spears, their eyes, clouded with malicious chi, realized their impending doom. The quickest among them unleashed airbending near what I assumed was their natural orifice—though, if spirits even have such things, I apologize for the expression. What would they excrete? Undigested chi?
The water I'd gathered, already infused with my chi, awaited my command to attack. But then…
From the west, a pale wave of black-purple chi stretched across the horizon, affecting us all. The airbenders' eyes glowed faintly purple, and without hesitation, they charged at me full speed, understanding deep down that this was a suicidal act.
These dark creatures don't deserve such an easy death. I'll pluck their feathers first, I thought, my bloodlust interrupted by a pat on the back.
"Have you realized the full danger now?" the voice sounded distant, as if through water. My mind was still processing what had happened—those thoughts felt so "right," as if they were my own. "Shake off the last few seconds. That wasn't you; it was Vaatu's influence," he encouraged, patting my shoulder.
"Each year, the barrier lets through more of his chi," he said quietly, grimly. "Time is short. Finish off these poor souls and let's move on."
Gritting my teeth, I used ice spears to push the airbenders closer. When they were five meters away, the spears pierced their bodies, leaving no chance for escape. In their final moments, I stared into their eyes but saw no glimmer of even the smallest rationality found in ordinary dark spirits. Vaatu's power is terrifying…
There was no time for reflection. Air chi surged into my soul, pushing other elements aside and creating a new source. My body handled the pain better this time; my back was straight, though my clenched fists and closed eyes showed the strain I endured.
Three mid-level spirits allowed my source to reach the strength of another source, stopping midway. As the source "activated," it felt as if my soul gained a certain… wholeness?
"Now I can truly be called the Avatar," I smirked, imagining meeting the real Avatar.
"You'll master airbending later. The spirit of reason awaits," Van Shi Tong said, and I agreed.
Glancing at Drya, I saw her lost expression. Taking her hand, I smiled warmly, hoping to help her recover. Her shy smile showed it worked.
Another teleportation, and we were thousands of kilometers away. Each time I think of the spirits of space and time, resentment grows. I can only hope Van Shi Tong's words are true—that as an ancient spirit, I'll gain fascinating abilities.
"The spirit of reason is over there," Van Shi Tong pointed with his wing.
Adjusting my vision for distance, I saw a floating… eye? It looked repulsive, though thankfully without nerves.
"Just one weak spirit of reason?" I honestly expected at least a mid-level one.
"Spirits of reason are hard to influence and too rational to travel alone or in dark spirit habitats. This poor soul was simply 'born' too close to the Tree of Time, immediately affected by Vaatu's chi," Van Shi Tong explained. Not everything fits in the Book of Spirits; I'd be reading it for the rest of my life.
"Alright, we'll take what we can get," I muttered, squatting and launching myself toward the spirit.
Already beside it, I decided to test its attack. Screaming something unintelligible, the spirit stared into my eyes—apparently, it's from the Sharingan family, requiring direct eye contact.
The attack… happened. Yes, it simply happened. If a slight headache counts. What else could I expect from a weak, junior spirit of reason? I felt like a boss with a health bar, unaffected by a mental attack.
Not waiting any longer, I flew toward the spirit and punched its eye hard. With its death, chi flowed into me, forming a small, silver-colored source.
Same location, one minute later.
"Now I'm Megamind! I'll outdo everyone!" I sarcastically exclaimed, feeling almost no change. I think I'm faster now, and it's easier to think about multiple things simultaneously. But I expected more.
"Wait," I cried out excitedly, freezing in a ridiculous pose with my hands raised. The feeling of emptiness—it's still with me! No, I ate well before entering the Spirit World; I meant the soul's "hunger" for a new element!
"Van Shi Tong, bring your feathery butt over here!" I shouted emotionally.
"Yuki, we've been standing here for thirty seconds," Drya's voice trembled.
"I knew it," I tried to smile without looking at Van Shi Tong, "I was just practicing… jokes! As you can see, I'm still not great at them, heh-heh," I tapped my head.
"Alright, forget that. There's bigger news than my unfunny jokes! There's room for another element!"
"You have five hours left until the Solstice ends. Which spirit will you choose?" he asked. Okay, great. He doesn't seem angry.
A tough question. I'd only planned for two spirits. Running through the spirits in the book, I compared their traits and usefulness. The spirit of reason has its benefits; I can think more structured and logically, like a computer.
Images of spirits flashed before my eyes, my mind racing. Choosing the ten most unique spirits, I decided to trust my luck—something I sometimes envy in myself.
"Drya, say any number from one to ten," I said. She survived hardships as a weak spirit, accepted the legacy of a related spirit, and gathered other minor ones. Who better than her?
"Let's go with five!" she said. That meant "Chi Blocker," a spirit that can mimic an enemy, copying even the most unique abilities—bending, skills, and experience. It was also on my priority list.
What held me back was its weakness against higher-ranked spirits. It can only copy spirits up to the highest rank and doesn't grow stronger. As Van Shi Tong described, it remains stagnant, staying at the same level since its creation as a dark spirit with highest-level powers.
It's unclear how its bending will behave in my case. And what bending does it even have? Time for the expert's opinion.
"Van Shi Tong, what about the Chi Blocker spirit?"
"Extremely interesting," he said, then fell silent.
"What's interesting?" I raised an eyebrow.
"It'll be interesting to observe you after absorbing this spirit's chi. According to my calculations, there's a ninety-three percent chance of mutation," he said. Mutations are bad; this isn't the Marvel universe, where even there, it's not always good. 'Your bending has never killed a spirit. Rest assured, your life is safe. We'll assess the spirit's ability changes afterward."
Looking at Drya, I made my decision. The minimum set is already complete—four elements and reason. No bending is useless; each has its use.
"I've already found the spirit," Van Shi Tong said, pulling us into his uncomfortable teleportation without warning.