Thanks for the power stones, here's a bonus chapter, enjoy it!
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When the sun rose over the Southern Water Tribe, all the women began their tasks.
Tiga, who was now in charge of teaching the children at Sokka's request, watched him train. She was always amazed by how he could keep pace with snow leopard caribous and surpass polar bear dogs in strength.
She watched him carry enormous blocks of ice and wood effortlessly, and admired him as he returned to the tribe carrying huge nets full of sea animals.
Without realizing it, she had begun to see him as the chief of the tribe.
POV Sokka
This morning, when I went out to fish, I saw something impressive-even for me, who already knew this world had crazy things.
A small thing, about the size and shape of a small pouch, sucked up a huge number of fish. It actually swallowed the damn fish I was about to catch.
After the initial shock, I realized it was a spirit and followed it. Not the smartest idea, but I was sure it would lead me somewhere interesting.
When I saw it come out of the water, the little bastard ran so fast it left a trail of snow behind. I hurriedly tied the boat to one of my spears and stuck it in the ground like an anchor.
I chased it for at least an hour at full speed without it noticing me.
I memorized the path, and when it finally stopped, I was completely stunned.
The small, ravenous spirit stood before a massive white lion at the center of an ecosystem I didn't expect to find here.
It was warm, with blooming trees, similar to the pond of the moon and ocean spirits in the North. I could feel the spiritual energy overflowing in this place.
But my thoughts were interrupted when the little spirit released all the water and fish in front of the lion.
An unimaginable amount. And the lion ate faster than they came out. Having that small spirit, which I assume can store things, would be incredibly useful.
And the white lion... not just a giant feline. It was over three meters tall, all muscle and scars. Its presence left no room for doubt: it was a king. Its eyes were cold, its fur white as snow. I watched it devour the fish like they were nothing. The little spirit kept vomiting water and fish from its body like an eager servant desperate not to fail. I crouched. I didn't know if attacking was a good idea, but having that place for myself... having that spirit... was worth the risk.
I threw a rock to one side to distract the lion and slid between the tree trunks. I got close to the little creature. I grabbed it firmly before it noticed me. It trembled, but didn't try to escape. When I brought a stone near its mouth, it opened wide and let me insert my hand. I felt an incredible void, and at the same time, a base where I could place the stone. The spirit staggered for a second, then took the form of a small storage pouch.
But the lion smelled me.
The roar it let out made the trees shake. When I covered my ears, it was already too late-blood started to pour from them. My balance was off for a second, but I managed to roll on the ground, dodging a swipe from the beast.
-Son of a bitch -I said as I struck its side with my spear.
The hit was solid and would have been fatal to any other creature, but this spiritual beast was different-its skin felt like indestructible iron. I didn't even leave a scratch.
A mix of fear and excitement coursed through me.
I dropped my spear to the ground when I saw the lion start charging at me.
-Come at me, bastard.
At my provocation, it pounced, and I met it with a punch to the jaw. The blow echoed through my bones, and it only staggered a little.
-I'm surprised a human can land a punch like that.
Those words shocked me-not because of what it said, but because it spoke. I thought it was just a huge beast.
-You can talk?
-Of course I can talk, human. I'm a spirit that possessed this body hundreds of years ago. This place captivated me when Tui and La lived here, alternating between the North and South. I wanted it for myself, without them bothering me with their stupid voices.
I said nothing to that. This place was the sanctuary of those spirits. That explains the overwhelming spiritual energy here, and why it reminds me of the place in the North Pole.
Sokka didn't respond. His eyes didn't leave the beast before him. The warm air of the oasis contrasted with the tension in the air, heavy as lead. The creature, that colossal white lion, still didn't move. It waited. Measured the young human with eyes as cold as the oldest ice.
Sokka clenched his fists; his spear had fallen far away. When the lion charged, Sokka hit it with all his strength in the jaw.
The blow echoed in his bones, pain flooded his body, but the lion didn't fare much better-it stumbled, disoriented from the hit.
-I felt that -it said, amused.
-And it won't be the last thing you feel -Sokka replied as he lunged at the same time the spirit lion did.
Sokka narrowly dodged a claw swipe. Taking advantage of the moment, he slid under the lion and stabbed a knife into one of its rear joints. It didn't go in fully, but the spirit growled in a deeper tone. One of its hind legs kicked brutally, slicing his thigh and launching him into the mud.
Sokka twisted in the air and landed rolling on one shoulder, staying low and mobile. His breathing was heavy, his muscles tense, but his eyes still burned with fury.
The lion charged.
Sokka met it head-on.
He leapt to the side at the last second, spun on one knee, and landed a rising knee to its jaw, barely redirecting its momentum. The blow rattled his bones, but it stopped the charge. The lion didn't fall, but it stepped back.
The young man climbed up its side and stabbed a bone knife into the base of its neck. The blade sank only slightly, but it opened a wound that splattered blood on his face. The lion threw itself to the ground to crush him, but Sokka had already rolled away to the right. A paw struck his ribs, making him cough blood.
A nearby rock. A broken tree. He used the terrain, always moving, drawing the creature through trunks. He led it toward a fallen tree, made it jump, and just as the lion fell on him, Sokka rolled to the side, each movement agonizing. The spirit crashed into the trunk, roaring in fury, leaving splinters and claw marks.
Sokka climbed up again. This time, he struck the lion three times in the skull with the hilt of his knife-hard, direct, relentless. The lion shook its head, spun suddenly, and flung him against a low rock. The boy used his arms as a shield, bracing his feet into the ground as he landed, protecting his back, twisting his body at the last second. He fell to his knees, but was already getting up.
The wound on the lion's neck bled. Its movements were slower. Its breathing heavier.
He ran toward it, slid across the ground, and drove his last blade between its ribs on the injured side. This time he twisted the weapon. It tore flesh. The roar was shorter. Drier. The lion staggered and fell sideways. Its paws scraped the ground but couldn't lift it.
Sokka stood up. He breathed like a wild animal. Blood dripped from his brow, his knuckles, his left leg. The air around him smelled of copper, sweat, and power.
-Stupid human... I will return... And when I do...
-You won't return, dumbass. You must be a young spirit not to know -Sokka said heavily, watching the lion's life fade from its eyes. -You possessed this lion... If he dies while under your control, it's your end... forever.
-N-no... that's not...
But his words never finished. His body stopped breathing, his heart stopped, and the lion's spiritual essence glowed briefly before disappearing into particles.
Sokka placed his hand on the enormous lion's body, preparing to do what he had practiced for a year.
He closed his eyes and felt the beast's chi. It was fading quickly due to the lack of vital energy. Sokka focused intensely and began to absorb the chi-his body soaked it up like a sponge, dense like liquid. He felt his body strengthen incredibly-his strength and agility increased, empowered by the new energy he had taken in. However, his own chi didn't grow.
Sokka chuckled slightly, thinking this felt a lot like gaining experience from an NPC and leveling up his stats in a video game.
But deep inside, there was something else. The bad luck of the original Sokka was there, a deeply dark stain on his soul. Sokka directed all the remaining chi to that place, hoping it would turn into good luck and finally erase the misfortune that haunted him.
When the chi was gone, his luck was no longer black-it had turned gray.
It was still there. But for the first time, it didn't control him.
Sokka dropped to his knees, his body vibrating. The minor spirit hung from his worn-out belt.
He gritted his teeth as he became aware of his condition-bones in his arms shattered and splintered. Blood mixed with the mud beneath him, but he didn't stop. He crawled toward the edge of the pond, dragging his broken body through the grass. The moment the water touched his skin, he let himself fall in completely.
The water welcomed him like an old friend. It closed his newest wounds, soothed the strain in his muscles, and calmed the storm brewing inside. It didn't heal him completely-but it was enough to breathe.
He looked up.
The full moon hung high in the sky, white and clear, glowing in silent witness to the carnage behind him.
"I wish I had waterbending," he whispered, not expecting an answer. It wasn't a prayer, just a thought spoken aloud.
But the answer came.
A voice. Gentle. Ancient. Steady.
"I will grant it to you."
Sokka froze.
"I have seen you, warrior who flows like water. For freeing our ancient sanctuary, we offer the only gift we can give-waterbending."
Stunned, Sokka remained motionless. In all his plans, in all his possible strategies, he had never imagined gaining this power in such a way.
"But without my physical presence, I can only give you a fragment of my essence. It will grant you control... not forever. If you use it wisely, at least two years."
He understood then. The voice-it had to be the Moon Spirit.
He bowed his head slightly, murmuring his gratitude. Then, he closed his eyes.
The water around him glowed a pale blue.
His body seized in pain as his deeper wounds began to close. His organs knit back together. His bones realigned and fused, slowly, with a grinding ache. Skin sealed, leaving behind faint scars. The process took hours-and through all of it, he screamed.
Behind him, the lion's body lay cold and still.
And when the sun finally rose, Sokka stood-tattered, scarred, but alive.
Dragging his enemy back to the tribe.