Only after some time, having convinced myself of the authenticity of the new element's appearance, was I able to calm my raging emotions. Unable to endure any longer, I immersed myself in my spiritual part. I needed visible confirmation that fire was now under my control!
For a whole minute now, I can't tear myself away from gazing at my sources... The neutral source located at the very center seemed to be some kind of sun, around whose orbit the sources of water and fire now steadily float.
That person was right after all — the one who said that inside each of us, there's an entire universe. I don't know exactly how this works for ordinary people, but for benders, this saying can be understood literally. As with water, some part of the channels throughout my body changed their color to red. Yes, right now both the source and the channels themselves don't look as impressive as the water element, but everything has its time — fire will still burn in our hearts.
Turning my attention to the neutral source, I once again began wondering what secrets it still holds. Even now it provides significant benefits, but I sense that's not everything it can give me...
Now let's try what it's like to be a firebender. Standing up from the ground and calming my breathing, I began gradually circulating fire energy through my body. Brrr, the difference is noticeable! If water energy, passing through the body, calms and gives a certain peace, then fire energy invigorates and seems to constantly say: "Release us, we want to burn something — burn — burn — burn."
Because of this, I had to do breathing exercises once more to calm my excited body, or warm air would start coming out of my nostrils. It seems the series mentioned that firebending needs to be kept in check — it's mostly a destructive element that a bender must be able to subordinate to their will.
"Alright, okay, calmer — calmer," I'll try again.
Breathing steadily, I again began "leading" fire energy throughout my body, this time not letting it take control. Now let's quietly try to release fire. It seems energy is being spent, but no fire appears... Alright, so I really do need to add chi.
"Fire," I said, mesmerized as I stared at the small fireball in my hand. I couldn't stop marveling, because a bender without a fireball can't even be called a bender yet.
Another confirmed theory. If water, air, and earthbenders use what already surrounds them — whether stones, water, or air currents — a firebender must create their own passage into the physical world for their bending. By adding a bit of life energy, a spark occurs, which then, thanks to fire energy, fans this spark into full flame.
Judging by the cartoon, it seems not all firebenders know about this, but essentially, having smartphones in the twenty-first century, we ourselves didn't know how they worked inside. So it is with firebenders — due to long fusion with this element, adding chi happens without conscious control from the gifted person themselves.
Good, time to continue hunting dark spirits. In the remaining ten hours, I need to absorb as many fire spirits as possible, bringing my source to medium rank. This would be more expedient — I won't be able to raise my waterbending source in one sitting anyway, so I should focus on the fire one.
I think I should go along one side of the lava river — with such an elevated firebending background, I'll definitely encounter fire spirits along the way.
I wonder how old Wong is doing? Maybe I'll be able to meet him too. After all, it's been more than five years since we last saw each other — how long ago that was...
After some time, I encountered another group of spirits. This time they turned out to be fire wolves — a whole pack of twelve individuals. The largest of them was at the peak of medium rank and was the pack leader.
Creating a whirlwind of water blades around myself, which visually strongly resembled the famous Kaiten from the Naruto world, I rushed straight at the wolves. They also noticed me and began preparing for some technique, judging by the fire energy gathering right in front of their muzzles. Not even a second passed before fireballs flew at me, which upon contact with the whirlwind, detonating, evaporated my already not-too-large water supply. Damn, I didn't notice this in the heat of the previous battle with the salamanders! [ image ]

After a minute, my water whirlwind decreased by half, but the enemies were already multiplied by zero. The battle turned out too tense, but it wasn't the fight with the spirits themselves, but the attempts to collect steam that quickly evaporated into the atmosphere upon any contact with spirits. I had to keep one eye on the steam so the water wouldn't run out too quickly...
This time I was a bit foolish — I should have immediately started dodging their attacks, that way I would have conserved more water. After all, I hadn't encountered large water sources on my path. Hmm, there seemed to be one small stream, but it was at the very beginning of the path, by those rocks.
The main thing is to leave some water for the platform that carries me through the air. With it, I'll be able to find a water source faster later. Right now, liquid supplies are still enough for a couple of battles, but I still consider it necessary to focus on the "one strike — one kill" tactic. This way I'll minimize water loss upon contact with spirit bodies. Therefore, I created an ice blade and, dodging attacks, began reducing the number of wolves.
While there's time, I can see what changes occurred with the fire source. When dispersing enemy spirits, I distinctly felt how their energy, passing through my body, entered the source. Yes, the firebending in me strengthened significantly — of course, not medium rank yet, but already halfway there.
The amount of water I had left was enough for three more groups of new fire spirits. After that, I had to search for any water source. It was difficult — the fire energy background in this area was too strong. I had to move several kilometers away from the lava river to find the water I so desperately needed.
Such jumps back and forth continued for another five hours. Sometimes, when water ran out in the middle of battle, I resorted to firebending. But not knowing how to apply any techniques, I had to improvise on the go — that's how the idea was born to release flames when striking with legs or arms, which would enhance my attacks. Of course, not much of a technique, but I've only been a firebender for five hours minus five minutes. I think even this is a good result. Such strikes turned out much weaker than my water techniques, but in four or five hits they eliminated even medium spirits. [ image ]

Medium rank in firebending turned out somehow quiet and not very pompous. No, I was very happy about it. But it seems I took too intense a pace — already in the last fifth hour, there were no moral forces left to continue fighting at the same fast tempo... I held on with just one thought: "finish faster, go rest faster." The joy turned out somewhat quiet, but looking at the fire source that almost doesn't yield to the water one in size, I was overcome with a feeling of complete satisfaction.
After resting for an hour, I decided to walk in another direction hoping to encounter water spirits. I decided not to purposefully search for them — my mood was contemplative, I didn't even want to fight anymore for now. For today, I was already fed up with this, so I walked through the rocky terrain that gradually began transitioning into forested area.
Suddenly, a little girl jumped out from behind a tree, humming some familiar melody... Something similar I'd definitely heard somewhere before.
"Pru-ru-ru," she continued walking carelessly in my direction until she saw me and stopped.
Wait, what melody? Why does she look so much like an ordinary person?! Yes, you can see her ears are slightly pointed, and her hair color is very rare — I haven't encountered such a fiery-red shade in the Avatar world either in my life here or in the series... But even so, I haven't encountered such human-like spirits yet, although... this is the spirit world, anything can happen here. [ image ]

While a whole ocean of questions raged in my mind, from "Maybe this is really an ordinary girl?" to "What level of development must she have to take such a form?!"
"It's you! I remembered you," the cute girl suddenly shouted, dressed in... this looks like leaves. Okay, let her be the leaf girl for now. She can speak calmly, which means she's at least a high spirit, although she feels like a strange medium rank, but still dangerous.
"Remembered — remembered — remembered," continuing to sing even these words, the girl joyfully jumped around me. No, I've definitely heard such intonations somewhere before...
Wait! Don't be deceived by her cute appearance — who did I tell not to! Oh, it's not working out too well to focus when a fantasy version of either a dryad or forest elf is looking at you. Ah, the main thing is don't look at her ears!
"I would definitely remember you, girl. Maybe you'll remind me where you've already met me?" I asked with a smile, watching how amusingly her ears move. There they are again!
"Hmm, I remember you being different too... Then you were a cool ball that I really wanted to play with," the girl thought, putting her finger to her lips. "But I definitely remember your scent! I even tried to find you when you went to the bad place." Are you a dog spirit or something? How do you identify others by scent? Maybe this is her type of sensing, through which she determines energy?
Wait, she confused me again. Bad place here in the Spirit Realm — where did I go with such a girl? But I only remember that guy who seemed not to understand what he was doing himself, or is this still what I'm thinking about...
"Spirit-leaf?" I asked with doubt, but this was quite enough.
"Leaves?" The girl froze for a moment, then hit her palm with her fist. "Yes, I always had leaves, look," pushing her hair slightly to the sides, I saw two familiar leaves, only now orange-colored to match the rest of her hair.
"So it really is you, spirit-leaf. I definitely didn't expect to see you," I thought.
"Well, do you recognize me now?" she asked with even childish offense.
"Sorry, you've changed a lot during this time," I answered with a slightly awkward smile.
"Really cool, right?! It's all thanks to the big tree," the proud girl said. "I even came up with a name for myself. Actually, it was like this — I was sleeping by a tree once, and then bam, I was already Dria," finished... Dria.
"What exactly did that tree do?" I wouldn't mind some kind of gift either.
"So you're interested too?" Was she always this talkative, or is this the prerogative of all young high spirits? I remember Wong was the same.
"I was walking through the forest once, sometimes running from bad spirits, sometimes playing with good ones, when I saw a bi-i-ig tree," she didn't even spare her hands to show. "As soon as I sat by its roots, a voice sounded in my head: 'Child, can you take this thing for safekeeping?'" — a real actress, even parodying an ancient voice.
"Of course I agreed! It was some kind of glowing acorn, probably?" — why did this sound questioning? Don't you know what it was yourself?
"So, I was just about to take it in my hands when the same voice says, 'Eat it, please, it will be safest in your body'" — is this normal at all?
"The tree asked politely, so of course I fulfilled its request" — you're both not very normal, right?
"And as soon as I took it for safekeeping in my tummy, I really wanted to sleep. I fell asleep right there," — how are you still alive with such actions?
"In the morning I woke up like this," she finished with an utterly carefree smile.
[ Image ]

I didn't notice how, during her story, my hand ended up on my face. The tale didn't really explain anything.
I had to ask a bunch of clarifying questions to restore at least an approximate picture of what happened. Still very interesting what exactly that was...
After a bunch of questions, the following picture formed in my head. The tree spirit was definitely high-level, and apparently very old — such spirits, having lived millennia, quietly pass away. This one, seeing a spirit of almost similar element by its roots, decided to give it all its essence. I'm not sure if this is possible, but I don't see another explanation for now... As Dria herself said, she tried to reach it, but the tree, while still alive, seemed somehow empty to her.
Once he himself was a low spirit, so he probably knew how to quickly get rid of another low spirit. It seems the tree spirit was even too lazy to look for a proper excuse... Another fact I noticed — from close distance, I distinctly felt how in her energy there's some formation that constantly gives its energy to the girl herself. That is, the process is still ongoing, and soon not only her consciousness will be like a high spirit's, but also her strength.
Listening to what she remembers from her life, I could understand that she's an ordinary cultivator of this world. She wandered the world alone, when normal peaceful spirits live under the protection of other stronger peaceful ones. She wasn't too afraid of dangers — she says she ran away from bad spirits many times. And in the end, her recklessness was rewarded — you could say she found the future burial site of an ancient master who, not even having time to pass into the other world, found his successor.
She's only now beginning to realize herself and take first steps in understanding the world. I'd like to see her in a couple of years, when she understands what a daredevil she was and how luck was literally breathing down her neck.
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