====== 3 - The Fire Sages ==========
"Listen, Aang... are you really going to perform your rituals all over the planet by yourself? How many times a month, or a week, do you need to pray like this? "After stopping for the tenth time that day, an irritated Sokka looked strangely at his friend performing yet another ceremony." "Is it difficult to put this off until later and attend to more pressing matters?"
"It's hard for you to understand how important this is... Yangchen said that this would bring harmony and calm angry spirits, like those in the North. Resting on the banks of this river will help calm the local spirits," the voice of the guy sitting in the lotus position tried to be calm, but the overly frequent question was starting to annoy him.
"Five hours a day just for these rituals... I understand that Yangchen is teaching you in exchange, but without wasting time on spirits, we would have already reached the earth mage that Dagoth pointed out to us! Clenching his fists, Sokka could only collapse onto the warm grass and, in complete indignation, begin to think about how to get out of this situation.
More than a week had passed since they parted ways with Dagoth. At first, the team felt empty inside and completely uncertain about what to do next. Previously, the "eldest" brother was responsible for breaks, rest stops, and training, which was his favourite activity. Now, the only person who kept in touch with him was Tai Li, but he didn't take on as many responsibilities as he used to. He gave him a map, told him where to fly and that was it.
At most, they could exchange news, and Tai Li would say good morning or sweet dreams to him every time, and they could chat about something completely insignificant during their travels. The team needed a new leader, and Sokka became that leader for the most practical of reasons: while the others were honing their magic or, conversely, their anti-magic, he was deepening his management and strategic skills. Fulfilling his duties as the future Leader of the Poles, as he called himself, he promised to make Aang a worthy guardian of the world!
But Aang wasted his time on ceremonies...
"Listen, is there really no one else in the world who can perform these ceremonies instead of you?
"Dummy, after the nomads disappeared, there's no one left, you've been told a million times," Katara, who was training in the river, rolled her eyes, almost falling over. Controlling the surface tension and using Master Pakku's wisdom, she balanced literally on the water, trying to hold out against Ty Lee for at least a couple more seconds. Learning to fight in increasingly unusual situations, she progressed at a fantastic pace.But then her words made Aang pause. He finally came out of his meditation and strained to remember his history lessons. The "repaired" memories revealed many new details.
"The other monks... the Fire Nation, as I recall, had their own sages.
"Oh yes, the fire people, they'll be a great help to us now," Sokka sighed. "We won't get a definite answer.
"In fact, the fire sages are not entirely subordinate to the Fire Lord. How can I put it: they are a separate caste of people, another people within a people. The sages have been engaged in their research since ancient times, have always held a place in the council, and they perform the ritual of enthroning the Fire Lord. They have their own position in the country.
"Hmm... I wonder if Dagoth will meet them?" Tai Li wondered as she listened in.
"That's not a bad idea. They are one of the few who have come close to my people in terms of spirituality. Dagoth should talk to them. But I have my doubts... Wise men are quite spiritual people, but in a hundred years of war, everything could have changed. They hold history in their hands, history that even I have not been taught. I wonder how they have dealt with it?
***
Giant drops of sweat dripped from his body, heated from training, while giant streams of fire struck and nearly exploded the metal dolls in the uniforms of the soldiers of the Earth Kingdom. Training under the mansion, Oza slowly exhaled, normalising his breathing and inner anger, then looked at the Admiral standing by the wall.
"You put so much effort into your development, Master, even though you have already achieved supreme power. It commands genuine respect," Admiral Liang's gaze was filled with sincere shock. The metal dolls melted from the heat of the flames or were completely crushed. Oza's concentration of fire resembled that of the explosive mages from Kalan — his fireballs, at least, created a similar explosive effect, although they did not reach their full destructive power.
And his physique... Liang could have sworn he had never seen a man pushing himself harder than Oza was. He did everything he could to survive the most brutal blows of brute force - compared to his skinny little son, Oza was the Fire God incarnate. The only worthy ruler of the fiery nation.
"You must never stop, Liang. The eternal pursuit of perfection is what drives our nation to fight..." Wiping his hands with a towel, he immediately smiled. "Why aren't you keeping an eye on my older brother? He may not be as strong as me, but Airo is very cunning.
"I was just about to talk about the level of protection at your palace. Master, this Sand Mage may not have done anything yet, but I have personally witnessed his madness and cruelty. Soldiers reported how he kept the entire crew of a ship in fear, people thought he would sink the ship at any moment. He was ready to burn alive more than two hundred soldiers who were under my command on the prison platform, he is unpredictable!
"…
"I beg your pardon... I am getting to the point that the palace, if necessary, should at least be rebuilt. He is the only magician who has subjugated metal and even lightning; your home is no longer under your control. Or at least do not show him 'It'.
The admiral's expressive and fearful speech made the lord of flame smile. He regained the haughty smile he had been hiding until now and clenched his fists confidently, sending a powerful stream of flame through his chakras.
"If he controls all the solid materials we can get our hands on, there's nothing we can do about it. We can't freeze everything in ice. To walk peacefully in your own home without worrying that the floor will come to life and break your legs, all you need to do is befriend the only one who poses a threat to you, which is why I took care of that this morning.
"Today?" Liang fell silent, unable to believe that the Sand Mage had arrived yesterday and that the danger of being with him would be resolved the very next day.
"Actually, I wanted to do it the moment he arrived, but first I had to read him the speech and give him time to think. Rest assured, as soon as Dagoth returns, he will not be the same. As for 'That'... I'll assess the situation.
***
Historical truth, secrets of eternal confrontation... everything had some kind of background and explanation. Take, for example, the extermination of the nomads. According to Oza, it had practical and spiritual benefits. No matter how I felt about it, I understood the practical benefits very clearly, but the spiritual ones were somewhat vague... Oza claimed that spirits were a problem for development, but they were also the foundation of the world.
Without them, some peoples would not possess magic and there would be no balance. They are capable of restoring destroyed territories and even bringing lost magic back to the world! At least, that was the truth presented to me by those around me... but did I really think about how they hindered development and how vengeful they were?The text I was given explained the tasks of the fire sages, which had been entrusted to them about three hundred years ago. This order, or even a branch of the fire people, was given the mission to study spirits. Darkness raged in the world more than usual due to frequent eruptions on the Archipelago. The violent deaths of the fire people gave rise to dark creatures, these curses poisoned the lives of citizens, and the cycle continued. Avatar Kuruk had only recently taken up his duties, so the sages developed a method to counter the darkness, which they shared with the Avatar.
They tried to maintain some kind of peace, sincerely believing in the possibility of balance, that it was possible to develop even in the miserable conditions of the archipelago and be at peace with the few spirits that came to our world. But soon they were forced to completely rethink their view of the world.
Kuruk did his duty well, and the age-old problem of the tormenting dark spirits was solved. The Avatar went out into the world to fight the spreading darkness... until he began to change. Spirits could not always attack head-on; they were capable of waiting, driving you mad. They would come only when you were asleep and force you to see horrors, or take on unimaginable forms and force you to fight with magic you had never even seen before.
Although at this point he was still sane and even managed to get a wife, as if to drive Kuruka completely mad, one of the spirits took her away. The real reason was the face thief Koh, whom I remembered well from the canon. He wanted to take revenge on the Avatar for forgetting his duties. People wreak havoc and destroy the balance, and in response, darkness is born, and he just fights the consequences? That's not right. Maintaining the balance that was tilting towards humans is the Avatar's duty.
It was simply a noble act of spirit that broke a man with an open fifth chakra. Kuruk began to drink, gradually destroying the reputation of the North and forgetting everything except his desire for revenge and the search for his own wife.
All because spirits are infantile and impulsive, like the panda spirit we met in the burnt forest; they act according to some kind of instinct, if they even have such a concept, like the wasp spirits I met in the swamp; or, from a certain point of view, they are hypocritical, like Wang Shi Tong.
Or they do more evil than good, like Tui and La. But that's just my opinion.
The Avatar can only help if he oppresses one side, because according to Shoken's wisdom, when something arrives somewhere, it departs from somewhere else. So does the world need such spirits? Does the world need balance with beings who will either drive you mad, kill you, prevent you from developing, and, if necessary, take your loved ones away?
Is it a good thing that the nomads were exterminated and only Aang remains? In fact, in an attempt to counter this thinking, I wondered: Didn't Aang manage to create a world without angering the spirits?
He achieved technological progress in the canon, so everything is fine? So, we can do nothing and not even interfere? Well, that's unlikely — I got involved in everything precisely to accelerate progress and achieve results much sooner, otherwise I would have become an ascetic. And even so, it couldn't be said that Aang didn't fight the spirits during the construction of the new world, I just don't remember it being shown. And how old was Aang when he died in the canon? He's just as short-lived as Kuruk, isn't he?
Katara, Toph, and maybe someone else just outlived him. I thought he died before the other Avatars because he spent a hundred years in the ice and it affected him somehow, but if you look at it from that angle... the soul of a nomad was torn apart by those he wanted to protect. Even the supreme spirit residing in Kuruk did nothing to help him.
If our progress enters an active stage, will the spirits suddenly start oppressing everyone?
"Choose:
1 - The truth revealed (You have realised that the people of fire did everything to exalt humanity and suppress the spirits. You can join forces with Oza to fight back against the spirits and raise humanity to the throne. Please note that this option involves a pre-emptive strike against the spirits, which will minimise your own losses. Oza plans to burn them during the comet's arrival, but you can change his mind and carry out your own plan. There is no outcome in which everyone will side with you. If you choose this option, you will have to rethink your relationship with Wang Shi Tong.
2 - Harmony (The foundation of all life is harmony, which allows every being to rejoice. You can give up your ambitions, the development of humanity, and your own philosophy for the sake of harmony. You will have to overthrow Oza and his family by force, then put Zuko on the throne. Divide the peoples and find a way to replace the air nomads to restore balance to the world. Many great spirits, including Tui and La, will take your side. Technical progress will become unattainable, and many mines and factories will be closed.