Chapter 9 — Flow and Balance
Seven days.
That was the rule.
No new simulations until the cooldown passed.
But once the timer hit zero, I didn't hesitate.
Simulation: Avatar World
[Simulation Selected: Avatar: The Last Airbender — Northern Water Tribe Training Grounds]
[Objective: Energy Flow Mastery]
[Duration: 5 years simulated = 30 minutes real time]
[Warning: Physical growth synchronization required to avoid backlash.]
The world shifted.
Suddenly, I was standing on a frozen platform, cold air biting at my skin, the roar of the sea in my ears.
And across from me stood my teacher — a stern waterbender with eyes sharp as ice.
The First Lessons
"Water is change," my instructor intoned, voice calm but firm.
"It is patience. Adaptability. Flow. You do not fight the current. You become it."
For hours — days — weeks — I did nothing but practice breathing and flow.
No bending.
No flashy moves.
Just control.
It was frustrating at first.
I'd come here expecting techniques, forms, something exciting.
Instead, every failure — every slight tremor of energy — earned me nothing but a quiet shake of the head.
"Again."
But slowly, painfully, I began to feel it.
The rhythm.
The quiet hum of energy moving through me like the tide.
The stillness before the storm.
The Breakthrough
On the second simulated year, during a night session beneath the aurora, it clicked.
I moved — slowly, deliberately — and the energy followed, smooth and controlled.
Not forced.
Not wild.
Just… balanced.
The instructor didn't smile, didn't praise.
But for the first time, he nodded.
The Exit
When the five simulated years ended, reality slammed back in.
I was back in my small room in Floating Cloud City, the dim light of dawn creeping across the floorboards.
But something was different.
The hum of profound energy in my veins wasn't chaotic anymore.
It was steady.
Controlled.
Like the calm surface of a deep ocean.
System Update
[Energy Synchronization: 24% → 38%]
[Profound Energy Stability: Significant improvement detected.]
[Next recommended simulation: Combat Integration.]
I exhaled slowly, a grin tugging at my lips.
The control wasn't perfect.
Not yet.
But I finally understood something crucial:
Power wasn't just about force.
It was about balance.
And balance… was something I could build.