"Is it a good idea to mix styles? I always thought it was silly of those travelers," muttered a man in the crowd. His words struck a chord with those around him because the actions of Jimin and Petra had shattered many of their paradigms.
When did they begin to hold so rigidly to Waterbending? No wonder they hadn't emerged as capable Waterbenders among their generation. Even worse, the Fire Nation was teaching them a key point they should never have forgotten: Waterbending requires flexibility.
"Imagine if your men could heal themselves during battle or if the women, who usually outnumber men, had joined the war.
But why limit ourselves to wartime applications of Waterbending? No, to any other bending in general! The elements have more potential than just killing and destruction! They should know better than anyone because their lives have been protected by that great wall over there," said Shisui, pointing to the distance where the huge white walls of Agna Qel'a stood.
Similar to the wall of Ba Sing Se, this wall had been built by Waterbenders a very long time ago. No matter how many attempts or weapons the Fire Nation used, they could not destroy it.
The wall was not used for combat but for safety. The current inhabitants of the North Pole ignored the fact that they had suffered greatly without this gigantic wall.
Ever since he arrived at the North Pole, Shisui had felt a strange, faint energy coming from the great ice structure. When he activated his gift a while ago, he saw that the entire wall was emanating chi as if gradually transforming into something else.
'Like the Wall of Ba Sing Se, the Great Gates of Azulon in the capital of the Fire Nation, or the peach tree that grew at the South Pole, this wall seems to have acquired a certain spirituality.
Will it become a spirit over time? It would be interesting to see!' Shisui had a big, excited smile on his face.
He felt that he should pay tribute to the ice walls, even though he was reluctant to accept it. After all, they had effectively protected his people for a very long time.
He jumped to the spot where Petra and Jimin had demonstrated their elements. They stepped aside, leaving him room. The crowd stared at Shisui, who had his eyes closed and a smile on his face.
'He's a little troublemaker,' thought Yue, noticing how her nephew Chi gently spread through the environment in the direction of the great ice wall protecting the North Pole's capital.
Then, Shisui bared his teeth in an unbridled expression as he opened his golden eyes. Everyone felt something tremble; it wasn't the rough manipulation of blood like Hama's, but rather a tug at the essence of every North Pole inhabitant, Waterbender or not.
"Have you ever given thanks to your nation's third protector?" asked Shisui, looking directly at Yue. She shook her head and glanced at the massive wall.
"Except for a few festivals in honor of Tui and La, no one acknowledges the wall's contributions." Yue's words confused not only the Fire Nation entourage but also her subjects, except for Pakku.
The elderly Waterbender frowned for a few seconds before raising his eyebrows in astonishment. Could such a thing be possible? Pakku looked at Yue, wanting answers from the lunar princess.
"Princess Yue, does the white wall also deserve our respect?" the old man asked. Yue nodded softly.
"Then, to you tradition fanatics, let me give you a new reason to celebrate," said Shisui with an assurance bordering on arrogance. No one complained. After all, he was the Sage recognized by the Avatars.
He was one of the most powerful people in the world today. Many thought so, but Shisui knew his place. He could never surpass the Avatar in raw power, but he had already surpassed him in the water element. For Shisui, that was enough.
Shisui began performing the most basic water kata, the same one he had asked the North Pole to perform a few minutes ago. His movements were fluid, a sign of his experience.
The water swirled around him in two rings that resembled old atomic models. Shisui recreated the molecular model of water around it.
Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom are represented by water, ice, snow, steam, and mist. The Waterbenders present may not have understood what they were seeing, but Azula's eyes glowed brightly.
"H₂O! That's the chemical formula for water!" the princess exclaimed, forgetting the decorum that always characterized her. But how could she not be elated?
She had loved getting into Shisui's laboratory ever since she was a child! Unlike Zuko, whose interest in such things went no further than mere curiosity, Princess Azula had learned a great deal from Shisui's lectures, demonstrations, and notes.
She still remembers the time Shisui easily made a blue flame and explained why fireworks are colorful. She once became temporarily blind when she accidentally set fire to a small strip of metal that Shisui had called out.
She remembered Shisui's warning about this and how he told her that the reaction she had provoked was a way of immortalizing people's memories in something called 'photographs.'
"Chemistry? That modern discipline born from alchemy, can it represent the true composition of water? Isn't water simply an element?" Pakku asked, this time with a hint of curiosity in his voice. He was genuinely interested in the things Azula said.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. You guys still have that group of useless people. According to Shisui's tests and experiments, the elements are nothing more than compounds, combinations of something much more basic and primordial called an atom.
The earth that Earthbenders control is full of minerals, which are mixtures of those elements. Gold is one element, you know? But the air we breathe is also a composition of gaseous elements. Shisui identified them once when we were children.
I still remember a phrase he told me: "The elements are not a whole; they are the final result of primordial forces that we cannot yet see, but that we can know."
That's why Shisui is so strong! He doesn't see water as just a liquid that can turn to ice or mist. He sees it as something he can break down, touch, and mold. Most importantly, he can guide it." Azula's eyes seemed to glow brighter and brighter as she saw her fiancé covered in a sphere of water that began to emit a bluish glow.
"Of course, we can't forget the symbolism of the elements as something concrete, but even among the elements, they share concepts. Water is life, but isn't Earth life too? Isn't Air? Or fire?
As Guru Patik said, 'The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are the same.'
Things you think are separate and different are the same. Atoms only need certain combinations to combine with other atoms and form the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Fire, Earth, Air, Water. The Avatar is a master of the basic composition of the world, and for that, he deserves respect because he is living proof that the elements are not separate. This was the first time Azula had given a "sermon," as her friends used to say. Strangely, it felt quite good.
'Maybe that's why Shisui likes to preach so much,' the princess mused, discovering one of the mysteries behind Shisui's usual actions.
Speaking of the Sage, he had listened to Azula's words and couldn't help but feel warm inside. He had said many things throughout his life. He was someone who talked too much. Usually, these types of people tend to be loners who are barely listened to.
But here, he had friends and a partner who listened to his words and hours of scientific and spiritual ramblings. He wasn't sure if the emotion he felt came from trust and love, but the sphere of water covering him changed.
He had been gentle before because his chi reserves, though large, were depleted. Now, he felt renewed energy.
"Once upon a time, there was an earthbender named Yun who was mistaken for the reincarnation of the Avatar because of the Earth Kingdom's strange method of identifying reincarnations born in their territory.
He was not the Avatar, but he replicated the elements with pure earthbending. Isn't that proof of Azula's words? Although Avatar Kyoshi killed him, his exploits should be recorded for you," said Shisui. He bent the water around him, making it behave in various ways while using the movement styles of the other elements.
With the steady steps of Earthbending, he created large blocks of ice. With the acrobatics of Firebending, he launched jets of hot steam that could severely scald anyone. With the smoothness of Airbending, he churned the mist around him into shapes that resembled clouds.
For the grand finale, he manipulated the water to form a detailed oriental dragon that glowed with golden light. The elemental construct hovered in the air for a few moments.
Then, something interesting happened: the water creature opened its mouth and roared. Shisui waved his hands in the air, making the water vibrate and produce a shrill sound.
The influence of the Fire Nation on Shisui was obvious; they worshipped a being similar to the golden dragon created by the waterbender Agni. Shisui manipulated this water construct to rise into the air, and gradually, the clear sky began to fill with black storm clouds.
Those in the harbor could see the dragon, as could those on the ice wall and in the capital. Chief Arnook, Shisui's grandfather and the leader of the Northern Water Tribe, looked up at the stormy sky.
"Has a powerful spirit descended into the earthly world? No, this is different." He may have been a politician, but he had earned his position by fighting with his trusty bone spear, which he held in his hand at that moment.
He was a waterbender, though his physical prowess was more prominent than his elemental gifts. In this sense, Zuko was like him in his youth. But, despite having a "cushy" position as a tribe leader, he never neglected his training. This allowed him to realize that the golden dragon was not a spiritual being.
It was the work of a Waterbender, and only one was known to be capable of doing something like that. Coincidentally, he had recently arrived: Shisui, the son of Arnook's eldest daughter.
"What a sight..." Arnook muttered, quickening his pace. His guards had to run alongside him. Despite being older, he was much faster than the youngsters.
Arnook looked up at the golden water dragon twisting in the air, growing larger and larger, and roaring to the four winds. Shisui and Yue felt the ice wall emit a slight energy fluctuation, as if something dormant within it had awakened slightly, watching the Sage's handiwork.
Inspired by a certain shinobi god, Shisui patted his hands, and small seeds wrapped in water bubbles popped out of his pockets.
"If I gave the Southern Water Tribe a peach tree, then I'll give you something more interesting!" Specks of white Chi emerged from Shisui's body and orbited around him playfully.
"Grow, Arctic Poppy bush!" he exclaimed. The seeds fell to the frozen ground and stuck into the cold earth. Under the power of the Sage's lifebending, the seeds germinated rapidly.
Soon, the entire harbor and city were covered in dense grass with yellow and white flowers. The dragon in the air, covered with lightning clouds, roared again as if commanding the sky to nurture these new plants.
A fine rain began to fall, accelerating the growth of the flowers. Even the wall of ice was covered by these plants, which generated large buds of poppies that soon bloomed and released a heady scent.
'It seems that even Tui and La are delighted with this gesture.' Due to her connection with the moon spirit, Yue could more or less know what these beings were thinking and feeling.
Right now, they were happy with their nephew's actions.
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AN: I'm sick as fuck, but if you give me some stones... maybe I can resist this pain called 'Floo.' My bones hurt, fuck.