Chapter 10: 10: About Chi.
"What do you know about Chi?" Shisui asked, sitting comfortably on the blanket with his legs crossed while the others listened.
Iroh, who quickly called for his father and brother, heard such a question and instinctively wanted to answer, but when he saw the raised hands of the children beside him, he let them answer.
"I know, pick me, pick me!" shouted Ty Lee, who was eager to answer, and Shisui nodded in her direction, causing the girl to give a small clap before speaking.
"Chi is the energy that runs through our bodies and allows us to do many interesting things," Ty Lee said, answering in her usual cheerful tone, but Azula grimaced next to her.
"No, Chi is the power that allows us to do firebending and hit harder," the girl replied without waiting for her turn.
"Chi silences us," Mai replied, mumbling her words out of her habit of avoiding noise.
"That's too many answers, which one is right Shisui?" asked Zuko, who preferred to let his friend clarify the matter.
"All three, but none of them," Shisui's words made the three girls stare at him as if they wanted him to choose just one or explain himself better.
"Chi is whatever you understand it to be. How can we categorize something as ethereal and sublime as Chi? Although that is the inherent need of human beings, the conclusion I have come to is this. Chi is everything, it exists in everyone, but at the same time...Chi does not exist, it is nothing" Shisui's words confused the children present, and even Iroh felt that perhaps Shisui was wrong, so he spoke up.
"But little Shisui, Chi can be felt and controlled, it is part of who we are, it even allows us to make fire or allows you to control water" Iroh felt that perhaps the young Shisui was confused and had probably fallen into a deep mistake, so his words were a reminder of something obvious.
"Are you sure? You haven't thought about it, have you?" asked Shisui with a smile on his lips, and those who knew him understood, there was something the boy hadn't said because he wanted to play mysterious.
"Be more clear, Shisui," Azula said, a bit annoyed by Shisui's strange humor, causing Shisui to stick his tongue out at her.
"Well, well. Chi exists because we believe it exists, it comes from us because we believe it is within us, we use it as an engine for our actions, and even as an enhancer of our actions because that is what we have been taught.
But in essence, Chi is nothing, it does not exist, we can live without knowing of its existence, and I am sure that before the concept of Chi was created, the existence of Chi did not exist.
What is Chi if not the materialization of our breath, the essence of our being? Mind and body are connected in a certain energy, designated by our desire that everything has a name, everything has a category.
Chi is your breath, it is the nutrients you get from food, it is the sunlight you get on your skin, it is your memories, it is your thoughts. It is the influence of the stars, it is the movement of the earth, Chi is your own existence expressed in energy," Shisui's explanation of Chi was somewhat confusing, and noticing the expressions of those present, the boy breathed.
"Chi is a product of our movement and stillness, a reflection of yourself, that is why in some people we can use Chi detection to discern their inherent nature, because deep down, Chi is the purest of them, something that cannot be hidden or manipulated.
Chi is what you understand, if Azula thinks Chi makes her fire burn brighter, it will be her fuel. If Ty Lee sees it as something that enables our actions, her family's Chi block will work, if Mai thinks Chi will silence her, Chi will soften her habitual noises.
In essence, you are the Chi, the Chi is you. It is in everyone, it is in no one, it connects us, it isolates us, it makes us part of the world, but at the same time, it makes us individual. It is your knowledge and what others understand. Chi is... change" With Shisui's last words, a strange wind came from nowhere.
Suddenly, even Azulon, Ozai, and Ursa, who had just arrived as Shisui began to explain the nature of what he believed Chi to be, felt the change. Everyone present could feel that the atmosphere had become strange, the air more breathable, nature more alive, the colors more vibrant.
Suddenly they saw what appeared to be a small sparrow flying around them, only this one was very unusual, it looked like a line made with green paint, outlining its shape but not its inside, which was "hollow" so to speak. The bird chirped, interested in the strange creatures it had encountered.
"This is..." Iroh murmured in awe, for he knew what he saw, that the sparrow was a spirit, no doubt about it.
"The spirit world is not a separate place from the earthly world, although its ways are mostly closed, it does not change its true essence, it is superimposed on our world and is the ultimate expression of the basic concept of Chi, change.
That is why in the descriptions the spirit world seems to have no end, except for certain special places, the spirit world is a constantly changing place, constantly transforming, reflecting the nature of Chi.
There is no time as we know it, no distance, and even... we can try to call upon certain special entities, though we must be careful," Shisui stood up and looked at the reflection he had drawn into the real world.
Yes, at his young age, it was impossible to reach the spiritual world, let alone take more people with him, nor had it drawn him into the earthly world, it simply created a reflection, or rather, removed the veil between the two worlds, but the barriers were still there.
They could not get in and nothing could get out. It was like seeing through a glass, that's why the sparrow couldn't be touched by Ty Lee's curious hands, they were technically isolated.
"Young man, it looks like you've done something really great here," a deep and aged voice was heard in the drill ground, everyone's attention turned to the direction it came from.
An old man with a white beard, red clothes, and deep golden eyes looked fondly at those present, especially Ursa, Azula, and Zuko. Perhaps because they were experiencing a reflection of the spiritual world, Ursa and her children felt something stir within them that made them feel close to the old man.
"Why do you feel like my grandfather?" asked Azula boldly, making the old man smile.
"Because I'm older than your grandfather, little girl, your mother is my granddaughter," the old man revealed, making Azulon finally confirm who the person in front of them was.
"You are Avatar Roku..." Azulon finally revealed the identity of the old man, causing him to nod.
"You are the son of my friend Sozin, I can see that, though you are much more temperate than him," Roku nodded to Azulon, then focused his gaze on Ozai, who was wearing the Fire Lord's robes.
"Take care of my family, please," Roku asked Ozai solemnly before turning to Iroh, giving him a smile and showing him a Pai Sho token, the one with the white lotus.
"We could play sometime," the Avatar invited before turning his attention to his two grandchildren.
"Grow up well, little ones," the Avatar seemed to sense something and looked directly at Ursa's belly, then began to laugh at what he found.
"Congratulations to both of you," Roku's words were somewhat garbled until Ozai realized in which direction the old man was looking.
"Ursa, you..." Ozai approached his wife with an unusual concern for him, he wouldn't have shown it before, but long ago the rough edges of his being, at least those concerning his family, had been smoothed out.
"I've been feeling sick for a few days now and I didn't tell you because I thought it would pass, I never thought..." Ursa touched her belly with an expression full of motherly love, it was obvious now, that she was pregnant again.
"Little girl, you should smile more, eternal silence is for old people like me," Roku looked at Mai and gave her a little advice.
"Say something to me too, Grandpa!" Ty Lee exclaimed excitedly, causing the Avatar to stroke his beard for a moment.
"Just be yourself," the old man advised, making little Ty Lee jump with excitement.
"You are more than anyone can imagine," Roku stared into Zuko's eyes and spoke the words he most wanted to hear, causing small tears to fall from his eyes.
"Destiny is not fixed, I hope you continue to dance freely," Roku dedicated these words to Lu Ten, who didn't quite understand the meaning of the first part, but accepted the end, he really liked dancing with his swords.
The one who understood the meaning of those words was Shisui, he knew more than anyone else that Lu Ten was supposed to die at some point in the original story, but would he really let that happen? NO! To hell with the canon, to hell with fate, to hell with everything.
Lu Ten may never know, but the stormy little butterfly that was Shisui allowed him to continue dancing with his swords as he pleased. Roku glanced at Shisui before moving on to Azula, whom he approached and crouched down beside.
"Girl, I've been watching you for a while now, you have an extraordinary talent, I hope you won't be overwhelmed by it in the future, you are more than a fleeting flash, you are a star in the sky," this was the first time Roku had said something so long to those present, but he felt it was necessary.
Of all the people here, Azula was the one he cared about the most. The girl was his offspring, and she inherited some of the excessive talents that all Avatars had throughout history.
There had been examples of similar cases in the past, but it could be said that Azula was a bit more special than them. Roku decided to give the little girl some special advice to prevent her from falling apart in the future.
"Now... Shisui, right? Your way of looking at energy is especially interesting. But you should be careful, many spirits are not so friendly," Roku finally turned to Shisui, who looked at him with a small childish smile on his face.
"I know, old man. I never expected it to be you, I thought it would be one of these people's ancestors. But since you're here, can I ask you something?" Shisui was perhaps the only one present besides Ty Lee who was not that impressed by the Avatar, and Roku noticed.
"Ask the old man, but I warn you, I'm not a god, I'm just a man, I don't know everything," the Avatar agreed easily, he really wanted to know what someone like Shisui could ask him.
Not only he, but he knew that other Avatars were watching hidden, for they were interested in such an unusual situation as this. Maybe that was the reason why no great spirit had approached, imagine having almost 10,000 years of super powerful past lives looking at a single place, not even Vaatu in his prime would dare to peek.
Shisui took a breath, knowing that his words might cause some misunderstanding in the future, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to ask this question, it was important, more than any secret he might have.
"Why was I reborn?" Shisui asked, causing Azulon and his sons to look at each other, a gesture the boy saw.
"I didn't think you would ask this question, little one. But isn't reincarnation a natural thing? I'm an example of it, so it's no wonder you can too. Even those who are now were someone else in the past, but that doesn't have to affect you too much.
Your past self has nothing to do with your present self, you understand that, don't you? Change..." With Roku's words, the reflection of the spirit world seemed to tremble a little, and for a moment, the Avatar's eyes turned white.
"You are part of this world, of its cycle, of its changes. A new soul, a new body, a new you. Your memories are echoes of the past, and you are gifted with something that is part of you, that is why you have such a special ability.
Do not be afraid, but since you like to find your own answers, I will give you advice from myself and my former selves," Roku's voice under his new state seemed to be overlaid with many, many unfamiliar voices, and suddenly the entire training ground was filled.
Filled with hundreds of figures with different clothes, different heights, and different genders, but they all had one thing in common, the immense power emanating from their bodies, their eyes shrouded in white light.
Such an image was astonishing, and even many of the world's most spiritually sensitive people looked in that direction. At the North Pole, a white-haired princess looked up at the Fire Nation.
Two fish that swam and danced forever waved their hands as if responding to the presence of all the past Avatars. A blind girl playing with Mole Badgers felt a strange vibration in the ground, something she had never experienced before.
A little girl at the South Pole, playing with a water bubble with her mother, saw for a moment a distant glow on an iceberg, something that would lead her years later to actively explore that place.
An immortal in the Earth Kingdom glanced toward the Fire Nation, then shook his head; he didn't care what the Avatars were doing for any reason. The remaining dragons breathed multicolored flames, and the remaining flying bison of this world roared into the sky.
A certain bald child of the Air Nomads, who had been in cryogenic stasis for nearly a hundred years, stirred slightly, causing a few cracks in the ice that covered him. However, it would be a long time before he was released back into the world, and until then, he would continue to sleep while everyone waited for his return.
Everyone somehow felt the changes that had occurred, some were curious, others guessed what it might be, but soon they went back to their own. The warriors returned to training or fighting, the wise to studying or inventing, and everything went back to normal.
"If you want to explore the depths of your soul, succeed in reaching the spiritual world, and then seek the Mirror of Souls, it will allow you to get answers to your questions. Until then, live your life as usual, without fear, you are a child after all," the Avatars spoke in unison, all synchronized uniquely.
Each of them expressed different emotions to him, compassion, tenderness, love, care, protection, caution, and discomfort, but all of them were sincere in the end because even though he was reincarnated, Shisui was still just a little boy of six years old.
"Thank you..." for the first time in his stay in this world, Shisui cried, for the first time in his life, he felt at home, accepted.
He was not an outsider, he was not an external entity, a foreign stain on the world, he was truly part of this place, this real world. Shisui's Chi emerged from his body like tiny specks of light, the ones he had resisted manifesting before were now much more comfortable.
Because he got an answer, a way, a solution. He finally accepted himself, finally understood that he could live in peace, without fear that another catastrophe out of nowhere would ruin him. Or worse, that it was just a dream, an illusion.
"Grow up and live well, Sage Shisui," the Avatars declared at the end, bestowing the child with a title of great weight before they began to fade away one by one.
Roku was the last, his transparent body looking up at the sky of his nation and breathing a sigh of relief. He could see that the Fire Nation upgrade was powered by the little boy before him, and that brought him peace.
When the spirit world reflection ended, Shisui was wrapped in someone's warm embrace, and he noticed that it was Azula, who put her face on his chest. She clung to him and said nothing, but she made Shisui stop crying, after all, children didn't stay sad for long.
"Let's go play with the Turtleducks," Shisui murmured, feeling that it would be nice to just hang out and do nothing but play for a while.
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AN: Hey! Maybe I could post this fanfic in Royal Road, this is an advice, if you see this fanfic in that plataform on a account with my name, is mine!
A little drama scene with Shisui, lore, and an epic moment, wooooo. Shisui has the fear of all of them who notice that his soul was isekaied, or least, my own fear in that situation, xD.
4k collections! Wooooo!!!