Chapter 34: Informed


    Patting the head of a docile, ck-scaled Smander, that narrowed its ferocious golden eyes into gentle slits, Nik spoke with slight irritation. Pavka was the second female he met, and she wasn''t less extreme than Az.


    Sitting beside Nik, Pavka nodded as she looked at the sky in a daze.


    The wisps of purple lightning that surrounded Nik returned to Pavka while Nik continued using his skill to keep these ferocious Smanders docile.


    "Even if you do not originate from this, your elemental affinity is higher than the ancient benders... are you sure that you aren''t a secret love child of one of the Elemental Turtle Spirits?"


    Pavka looked at Nik''s violet eyes seriously while trying to trace any form of deception within them.


    "I am human, right? And, what are these Elemental Turtle Spirits?"


    Shrugging, Pavka''s wings suddenly disappeared as she looked at the sky with a dull expression.


    "Let''s see... hmm... right now, the graves of the Elemental Turtles is the foundation of all bending abilities in this world."


    Shaking his head, Nik sighed.


    "Pavka, right? If you want to speak, then do so clearly. I am way too hungry to actually entertain your desires to be a mysterious storyteller."


    Pouting, Pavka immediately groaned.


    "Ohhh! You should just listen when my glorious self speaks. Yeah, think of me as Az and act ordingly."


    Her statement immediately gained a palm strike on the top of her head as she immediately rubbed her head while ruffling her dazzling golden hair.


    "Now, speak, will you?"


    "Even though I am a pure Element, hmph! The ignorant really don''t fear ferocious animals... fine!"


    Pavka harrumphed and stood up while pulling down the lower eyelid and blowing her tongue with purple wisps of lightning acting as droplets of spit.


    "I don''t care! Go, serve that bitch for all I care!"


    She immediately took off while Nik couldn''t help but feel defeated.


    ''Next time... I should try and sweet talk her. She does seem to know a lot.''


    Before he even stood up, he saw Pavka flying back with her fair cheeks blushing furiously as she immediately sat next to him with her wings vanishing without a trace. Under Nik''s questioning nce, she lowered her head further in embarrassment while softly muttering.


    "I still have to observe you... Idiot."


    "Pfft."


    Nik held back a chuckle and stood up while Pavka followed the suit. With that, under the careful observation of the pouting Pavka, Nik ate a lot of food in the mess. Ordinarily, only one te worth''s food is issued to a ''traitor'', but Nik raised through the ranks of ''traitor'' and became a loyal ''hound'' in the eyes of the Fire Nation Soldiers, inducing them to treat him slightly better.


    "Alright, you don''t have to insist, I''ll tell you the history of elements!"


    "I didn''t insist."


    Nik calmly retorted while chewing on the hard bread while relishing its taste. In hunger, even such a frowned upon article of food became a source of relishing taste that Nik didn''t want to miss.


    "You could have insisted!"


    Pavka shouted with glistening eyes as her actions remained unnoticed by the other soldiers and ''traitors'' in the mess.


    "Fine! Oh beautiful Pavka, fulfill my request and quench my curiosity. Please, tell me the forgotten tales and enlighten me on the true path of elements."


    Nik made a few words and whispered with a sigh. This supposed element was surprisingly easy to coax. A beautiful smile that managed to stir his heart appeared on her face while she nodded.


    "That''s more like it! Alright, before I start, you need to understand that humans alone are not capable of bending elements."


    Nodding, Nik remained quiet while Pavka took a deep breath and recollected her thoughts to make her storytelling even more enjoyable.


    "Long ago, to signify the use of elements, the gave birth to the first human couple that popted the world. But, after some time, it was found that there wasn''t only one couple. A total of four couple were birthed upon the divine back of the Elemental Turtles, to signify the world''s thirst of more sentient beings.


    Everything in this world, whether living or non-living is capable of possessing sentience and spirit. Thends that human-popted were the same.


    Under the encouragement of the nature itself, the lifeless, turtle-shaped mountains gained their spirit and also acquired the ability to control their designated elements. But soon, things started to change."


    As Nik walked out of the mess, Pavka followed right behind him and continued.


    "Instinctively, mankind pursued civilisation. To civilise themselves, they pursued adventure to the outernds, a world filled with various spirits that collectively denoted the nature''s thirst of life. But, soon enough, men understood that with their weak flesh, pursuing civilisation was nothing but a pipe dream.


    Hence, they called for their protector''s assistance The Elemental Turtles.


    You see, the power of bending the element at will only belonged to these mystical spirits. So, they passed the ability to control the elements to the people that developed on their backs.


    Now, you already understand that Nature''s will manifest various things in this world. So naturally, the spiritual manifestation of order and chaos soon manifested under the names of Raava and Vaatu.


    Those arrogant bastards..."


    Pavka cursed within her breath as she soon recovered herposure and continued describing the story how the first Avatar came to be after the fusion of Raava, that held the control of four elements and helped the first avatar bear the strain of controlling all the elements only to end up fusing together.


    ***


    "So, in a nutshell, after the humans gained the ability to control the elements, the basic function of the Elemental Turtles came to an end. With that being said, the turtles dematerialised and forced the humans to extend their territories towards thend upied by spirits.


    Meanwhile, the dematerialisation of the Elemental Turtles gave rise to various mutated elements."


    With thest part spoken a little smugly, Pavka looked at Nik and asked eagerly.


    "So? Do you understand now? I am one of the mutated spirits that can allow the use of controlling the Purity Lightning!


    Now, this is the time where you kneel in my glorious presence."


    Ignoring thestments, Nik frowned.


    "I now finally have a bit of understanding... but, what was with that test?"


    Nik asked as he recalled how Pavka begged to touch him with her electrified finger only to feel a bit of tingling sensation.


    "Oh, that? Well, that was a way to check your affinity with my mutated lightning. Well, you still way a long way ahead!"


    "Oh, I see. Then I should call you my teacher, right?"


    Nik immediately smiled brilliantly as his ns changed almost instantly.


    In a stupor, Pavka floated a step back as her face grew crimson.


    "Wh- wh- what?! Me? A Teacher? Really?"


    She asked with wide eyes that failed to show the sheer excitement contained within them.


    Nodding, Nik smiled naturally.


    "Yes, since you checked my affinity, surely, only you are qualified enough to be my teacher."


    At Nik''s words, Pavka couldn''t help but pout.


    "But... that bitch... didn''t you say that the bitch was the only superior you are loyal to? I don''t want to be a teacher! Call me your master, hmph!"


    With his smile unchanged, Nik spoke gently.


    "Well, that is definitely true, teacher. But the bond between both of us is not based on loyalty, but love.


    From the deepest corner of my heart, I love you, my teacher. Her highness does not evenpare to the status you hold in my heart."


    "L-L-Love!"


    Pavka stuttered as she started muttering words incoherently while her purple eyes seemed to be swirling in confusion.


    ''Well... that turned out to be simple...''


    Nik shrugged at her reaction and couldn''t help but feel distressed that he had to remain in this world for seven months.


    ''The only way of returning quickly will be... killing the avatar.


    But what is his identity?''


    Nik thought darkly as the dizzy teacher followed her student.