**Yui Bay. Island Air Temple. Yo.**
Rocking gently in the rocking chair, I indulged in an uncharacteristic melancholy. Not even the sight of Dria's derrière, covered in some plant-based, ultra-thin material, could lift my spirits. She and Celine were right in front of me, tending to our garden. They worked manually, claiming it helped them relax and understand their earthbending strengths in a new way. Only Gaia was missing; she was helping her fellow nature spirits relocate to safer areas.
An hour ago, I'd tried digging in the soil myself, but my thoughts kept returning to one unpleasant topic. Occasionally, my daughters' loud, cheerful voices pulled me from my gloomy thoughts. They'd been playing in the backyard for a good three hours, where I'd recently built them an exciting playground. I could be proud of myself—even Shika had taken an interest in it.
"Ugh," I sighed, another weary exhale. I couldn't shake it. My mind kept replaying the image of Koh's grotesque body. Last night, I'd even had a nightmare about him. No doubt, he was the reason for my sour mood today.
For three and a half years, I'd been struggling to master the next level of firebending. I'd tried everything possible. I felt my understanding was sufficient, but now I needed to turn it into mastery. All this time, the looming threat of Koh's recovery hung over me like a sword of Damocles. I wasn't worried about myself, but my large family weighed heavily on my mind. Who knew what a deranged spirit might do? What if he decided to harm my loved ones…
Aine could stay with the girls permanently. From one of our conversations, I'd learned her ancestors had nearly defeated Koh, which was why he still feared golden dragons.
Of course, I could hide everyone under Van Shi Tong's protection, but could that be called a real life? Koh was like an annoying, dangerous mosquito buzzing in my ear. I wanted to solve the problem once and for all.
Before another frustrated sigh could escape my lips, I froze, mouth agape.
Ten meters away, something inexplicable began. Visible streams of green chi lifted Dria off the ground. An astronomical amount of energy swirled around her, gradually being absorbed into her body. A strong wind picked up, and gray clouds appeared out of nowhere on such a sunny day. I watched intently as Dria's chi transformed.
With each passing second, her chi structure grew more complex, dense, and profound. It dawned on me—my wife was ascending to an ancient level of earthbending. My tense body began to relax. I was genuinely overjoyed that Dria was growing stronger, as if a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
The light show lasted about five minutes. By then, the clouds had thickened, and I felt a malevolent gaze directed at Dria. Still unsure what was happening, I rushed to her side.
"Dria! Congratulations!" I embraced her gently.
"Thank you," she replied weakly. "I don't feel so good…" she continued, leaning on me.
"I completely forgot!" I exclaimed to myself. The human realm despises spirits losing control, and Dria was radiating ancient spirit energy! Clearly, she still needed to master her new power.
Without hesitation, I opened a portal to the Spirit World. I didn't want to find out what would happen to Dria if we stayed here even a minute longer. It seemed we'd already been granted some leeway.
"Celine, watch the kids!" I quickly told my daughter before scooping up Dria and leaping into the spatial distortion. I didn't hear Celine's response, but she was responsible—she'd handle it.
In less than a second, we arrived at the entrance to Van Shi Tong's Library in the Spirit World. Immediately, Dria began to feel better, standing on her own without my help.
"How are you feeling?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Like I've been on some wild rollercoaster. At first, everything was great—every part of my body felt euphoric. Then my entire being sensed a life-threatening danger. Now I feel amazing again!" I believed her, as her surging chi was somewhat uncomfortable. Improved control was definitely needed.
After congratulating her again on reaching a new level, I pressed her on how it had happened. She'd just been gardening! Trimming bushes, pulling weeds—nothing related to bending.
"I'm not sure," Dria admitted. "I remember seeing a flower wither to give space for another plant to live. A thought crossed my mind: 'Nature can take as well as give.' It's hard to explain, but those words seemed to gather all my knowledge. Then the chi started filling me."
"So, it's unclear… Maybe I should garden too?"
"What ability did you gain?" I knew from the Great Owl's records that ascending to an ancient level grants one specific ability. It's not random—it depends on your understanding of your element. For example, a waterbender who favored ice would gain an ice-related ability, as that's where their mastery lay.
Some levels aren't shared by the ancients themselves. Only when a critical mass of 'understanding' is reached can they gain a new ability. This, in turn, enhances their source and chi, making them even more powerful. Even Van Shi Tong didn't get his cool runes right away. I think that was his third or fourth ability.
"Exactly! Watch this!" From her hand shot a thorny, fanged vine that quickly latched onto a nearby tree. In less than a second, the tree vanished—simply and utterly disappeared…
It all happened so fast I didn't understand the process. Dria had to demonstrate it a few more times for me to grasp it. She seemed to enjoy making me figure out her ability's potential. Her pride was palpable.
"It's energy absorption!" Dria's vines could drain chi. The first time, she'd absorbed the tree's chi, which was so minimal I hadn't noticed. It was an unreal ability. While it wouldn't let her drain other spirits for growth, it would be a huge help in prolonged battles.
"Try it on me," I said, curious to experience her vines firsthand.
"Are you sure?" Dria asked worriedly. "I don't fully control this ability yet—I might hurt you…"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said, in one of the rare moments when curiosity overruled reason…
"Okay, then," Dria said uncertainly, trying to grow the smallest vine possible. It seemed their power depended on size and thorniness.
In the next moment, a thin green vine wrapped around my arm. I had to muster all my willpower to avoid collapsing to my knees. In less than half a second, my chi reserves were nearly depleted. My stamina had also vanished, though Dria couldn't have affected it. Thinking became exponentially harder; I felt mentally drained.
"How are you?" Dria noticed the changes in my body.
"Better than ever!" I smiled sincerely, looking at her with awe. Her ability was simply unreal! Beyond draining bending energy, she could also sap stamina and mental strength!
Undoubtedly, the efficiency would be much lower against other ancient benders. Plus, there were ways to defend against the vines. Still, despite these drawbacks, the ability remained incredibly powerful. Especially since it was only her first day—likely, in the future, she'd extend this "energy absorption" to her entire body, making it pointless to attack her.
"Let me hug you," I said, though in my weakened state, I practically hung on her. She didn't mind, gently stroking my head, knowing the pressure I felt from my inability to fully counter Koh.
Our silent expression of love was soon interrupted by a "ripped" space. It was as if something had clawed through the air… No, not just a feeling—a massive claw appeared a second later, one I vaguely recognized.
Ancient chi emanated from the other side, but before Dria and I could tense up, we sensed a benevolent energy. Not an enemy, then. Soon, the portal widened enough for someone human-sized to pass through. My familiar cat-like friend stepped quickly toward us:
"Hi everyone!" she waved. "Last time, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Chitara," she said, tilting her head slightly, smiling at me. Actually, I'd forgotten to give my name too, too busy admiring how beautifully her features moved…
"Didn't expect to see you so soon, Chitara. I'm Yuki. And this is Dria—one of my wives," I said, though I desperately wanted to ask, "Who dressed you?! Who committed such a sin?! Your stunning body shouldn't be hidden!"
"What are you doing here?" Though I wasn't complaining about her company.
"I decided to explore the human world with my friend Yuki!" she declared resolutely. "Dad said he'd only let me go if someone came with me. Please say yes!" she continued in a whisper, making a pleading face.
"Yes," I said, my voice slightly hoarse. The combination of her cat-like ears pressed against her head and her pleading tone was too much. Clearly, refusal wasn't an option—Kuro was still holding the space open with his claw.
"If my girl gets hurt…" the Great Cat finally spoke, his voice heavy and unsettling. He didn't need to finish the sentence—I understood.
"Dad's always so grumpy, don't mind him," Chitara said awkwardly after the air's tension eased. It was clear she disliked asking for favors, but staying in her settlement seemed even less appealing.
"I hope you don't mind if we stay here for a couple of days. Dria needs to get used to her increased power."
"No problem at all," Chitara agreed immediately. "So, you just became an ancient earthbender?" she asked, turning her attention to Dria.
"Call me Dria," Dria smiled, casting sly glances at me. She saw I was interested in this cat-like girl and began systematically questioning Chitara to understand her personality. She wasn't about to let just anyone into their family.
*
**Cat-like spirits' settlement. Several hours earlier.**
"Father, let me go to the human world!" Chitara had been raising this issue for days. "From what I know, it's much safer than the Spirit World. Plus, my new friend lives there, and he's quite strong too!" Chitara admitted to herself that she was more eager to meet her new friend, whose name she'd forgotten to ask.
"That damn brat has my only daughter wrapped around his finger!" the healthy black cat, Kuro, cursed. "But it's true—she'll be safer there." Another wave of dark spirits was gathering near their settlement. Knowing his daughter, she'd definitely fight. And he couldn't always watch over her, especially if someone his strength attacked them.
"Fine, I'll allow it," he interrupted her assurances about behaving well.
"Thank you so much, Father!" Chitara pressed against his soft belly, making Kuro purr.
"In the human world, you can't walk around naked. Take clothes from your second mother," Kuro didn't understand humans well, but he strongly disliked how that half-spirit had practically licked his daughter's body.
"Wait… if the clothes are ready, does that mean you've already decided to let me go?"
"Did you think your little escape would go unpunished?" he asked mockingly, reminding her of the day dark spirits had nearly caught her.
"But if I hadn't escaped, I wouldn't have met my new friend!" Chitara thought, deciding not to press her father further.