Chapter 14: The First Chakra

Bundles of tightly packed seaweed smoldered in the remains of a campfire where food had recently been prepared, though the embers did nothing to scorch the trunk of the massive tree. Before my eyes, the Waterbender Huu manipulated the liquid within the plants, yanking leaves from the swamp by their roots, compressing them tightly, and tossing them into the flames. I watched his mastery in silence as the Guru continued his lecture on the Chakras.

"Those who do not even consider opening their chakras block themselves from a lush and beautiful world. I would be overjoyed to teach the people of the entire world from this very tree; perhaps then, there would be fewer wars and deaths. Hungry?" Extending a boiled beetle that resembled a giant fly toward me, I accepted it without hesitation. I bit into the succulent flesh, washing it down with banana-onion soup. Despite his philosophy that we are all one, Huu ate as well, explaining it as a natural necessity: eating to survive.

"Most people wouldn’t last long on a diet of bugs. Want some more soup?" As I ladled out a second helping, I watched the bender happily slurp down my brew. Sitting off to the side, Afka vividly demonstrated her disgust, covering her eyes with her paws. She might be a spirit, but she was certainly a picky one.

"The chakras of an ordinary person are usually heavily congested; energy flows through them with great lag, blocking the full stream. What people call 'talent' stems from one’s personality and how many chakras they have opened. I remember those days as if they were yesterday, with my paths closed, I learned slowly and could protect no one. Fluid bending..." He gestured, lifting several strands of seaweed into the air. "It wouldn't submit at all. Think of a person who is not subject to fear. Do you know anyone like that? And if so, tell me, are they strong?"

My brows furrowed. I knew few benders besides those I lived with. Tassad certainly showed very little fear, and compared to other benders, he was truly quite skilled. He didn't even train that much, yet he was naturally talented. And then there was... Azula, if I recalled the canon. Now, there was someone untouched by fear, guilt, or shame, and she was incredibly gifted. She likely had at least three chakras open.

"I’m beginning to understand."

"Advanced abilities become much easier to grasp once your body is clear, but the greatest challenge is clearing the blockages, isn't it? Close your eyes. Sit straight. Tell me, what do you fear?" His kind voice allowed me to isolate myself from the threatening surroundings. Without worrying about a knife in my back, it didn't take long to find the answers within.

Obivously, failure and its consequences were my strongest fear factors. How many times had there been gas leaks, knives falling at my feet, or strange creatures attacking with the intent to maul, kill, rob, or eat me?

"And what did you do to fight that fear?"

My eyebrows took on a life of their own as I grew pensive. Obviously, I tried to survive. At first, I limited my contact with the environment. Then, I began to fight back. But not always. I was the first to run from the moths, and that wasn't fear, that was common sense.

"You are already beginning to distinguish between survival and fear. Flight is not always cowardice; the sum of your character depends on your actions. You went after your friend despite your fear. You have nearly opened the first chakra."

"But there are still many things I wouldn't do because of fear."

"Fear keeps you alive. But can you not cast aside your animal nature and rely solely on your mind?"

"But... I am limited outside the desert. I have little of the material I specialize in. The risk of death increases manifold."

"Hmm... and yet you extracted loose sediment even here. You did everything to survive."

In that moment, a spark of enlightenment hit me. Was I truly as limited as I had believed? The fear of being far from the desert had been shackling my thoughts. Earth was everywhere, and even if it was poorly suited for use, like liquid peat, it could always be adapted. I could drain the earth to make it dry, or crush stones if I was in the mountains. Sand was everywhere. There was always a way to survive. And if necessary, simple rock would suffice.

Every door was open to me; I just had to stop locking them from the inside.

Thump-thump.

My heart grew still. I felt something... as if a weight had been lifted from my very essence. Opening my eyes at last, I looked at the world without my old terror. I was here, and I had to survive, there was no other choice.

"The Earth Chakra is open," Huu said with a casual shrug. "I suppose I make a fine teacher."

Scratch, scratch.

"A-af!" At that moment, Afka placed a piece of parchment and a pen before me. The greedy fox wanted to know all my thoughts and even the methods for opening the chakra. It was quite possible... I would become the first author to convey this knowledge without distortion or vague imagery. As I slowly formulated my thoughts, preparing the first pages of my Magnum Opus, Huu watched and chuckled.

"You have increased your own talent, but I do not know how to help you with the second chakra. I have never once felt guilt, so that chakra opened on its own." I shot a brooding look at the show-off. He had claimed that skipping chakras was forbidden; one had to follow a strict sequence.

Guilt blocked the Water Chakra. Opening it would release even more potential. It didn't matter if you were a Firebender or a Waterbender, anyone could find elemental harmony within themselves. However, actually bending the elements was reserved for the Avatar. Or, you could simply mimic them freely, as I did. The next chakra would likely improve my results when copying the Waterbending style.

I spent several days with Guru Huu, recording my thoughts and walking among the thick thickets. I tested how much my mindset had changed now that cold reason, rather than fear, guided my decisions. It began to seem that this was the very reason Anubis had sent me to this world: I could overcome the lack of "failure" not just through a system, but through total mastery over my fate.

Eventually, I had to continue my journey. I felt a sense of stagnation without learning from other professionals of my element. Though, the advanced Waterbender had managed to teach even me one vital skill.

"I manipulate the seaweed to cover myself in a suit of armor. Usually, I resemble a monster, which helps scare off strangers." Escorting me out, Huu submerged into the water and emerged encased in a mass of plants. This incredible bender controlled every drop of moisture within them, turning the greenery into a truly formidable weapon.

"Eerie," I remarked flatly. There was power in the volume of dense matter, Earthbenders understood that better than anyone. I could replicate this trick; I just needed to practice. In this form, he led me to the edge of the swamp, deterring anything that might attack. He was a local Alpha predator, earning respect even from the spirits. Thus, my "Bad Luck" was suppressed by his sheer authority.

"Now you only need proper instruction from a master of your own element to utilize your newfound potential." Standing at the swamp's edge near a rocky cliff with a large opening, the path toward Omashu, the bender placed a vine-covered hand on my shoulder. "If you open the second chakra, come find me again. I can guide you through the rest."

"I'll likely be far away by then... but I understand the general principle now. Thank you." Shaking his vine-wrapped hand, I watched the fox lick the seaweed head of the monster she had been riding before jumping down to my feet. With a final wave, I moved into the rocky canyon. An earth-scooter formed beneath my feet, and I sped off into the distance.

******

I stopped in the middle of a craggy landscape where giant, obstructive mountains loomed in every direction. Grass became sparse again, appearing only in small islands of life. Occasionally, one could see small rivers, but reaching them was difficult due to the massive sheer drops. We were merely on the approach to Omashu, and it was already becoming clear why the city was so difficult to conquer in the canon.

[Choose:]

[1 — Train Earthbending Style (Power techniques receive the strongest boost)]

[2 — Train Air Nomad Style (Speed techniques receive the strongest boost)]

[3 — Train Waterbending Style (Perfectly balanced techniques receive the strongest boost)]

[4 — Learn Matter Transformation (You will learn to adapt the battlefield)]

Deciding to take a short break, I stopped on a mountain plateau and fortified my position. Currently, I had no shortage of material for combat, as stone was everywhere, but to hone the same trick Huu had used, it would be easier to start with sand. To that end, it was worth learning to completely transform matter to suit my whims.

This trick was far more complex than simple sand compaction. Stone was bonded much more tightly. Earthbenders exerted the most effort when ripping chunks out of it, so I started by making the ground tremble. My feet created weak vibrations, using bending to loosen the rock.

Then, I plunged my hands in and reversed the compaction process I had practiced since childhood. Small particles began to rise from the ground as the rock face subsided. In the end, I managed to produce a bit of sand, about a third of a pumpkin’s worth. It wasn't much, but I succeeded on the first try, likely a result of my improved talent.

And of course, Anubis made me suffer for it. No sooner had I created a couple of sand craters than he forced me to learn to compact the sand back into stone. Ten thousand repetitions of the exact same action.

At this rate, I’ll probably learn how to turn coal into diamonds.

"Af..." Meanwhile, Afka, peering into the distance, narrowed her eyes. She saw black smoke rising into the sky.