Chapter 73: 73 - Different ideologies
AN: A juicy 2.9k word chapter just for you, does this deserve some power stones? YES? NO? MAYBE?
AN2: Sorry about the slow updates, I had to deal with a lot of pressure at work.
Enjoy.
***
"Goodbye Bumi, see you later." waved Aang on top of Appa as they took off.
"Goodbye Aang, come visit me again before I hit the bucket would ya." said Bumi waving back leaving the group speechless, they didn't know how to reply.
Bumi didn't mind as he kept waving with a smile on his face, but deep inside he was a little relieved. He enjoyed having them around but Levi gave him a sense of danger he hadn't felt ever since he was young, and he wasn't fond of remembering his young years like that.
Just the fact that he hadn't detected him until he was right behind him spoke volumes of his abilities, Bumi knew that at that moment when he had sneaked up on him if Levi wanted him dead he would have been, he still didn't know how he had even gotten inside a room with no entrances.
'And just how did he avoid the detection of my seismic sense.' he couldn't help but wonder.
Not to mention the fact that he had created a brand new water bending technique during their spar, just remembering how that water jet had cut through hard rock like a hot knife through butter sent shivers down his spine.
'Tenzin you really raised a monster.' thought Bumi with a hint of envy and jealousy.
He decided not to dwell on it any longer as he turned and headed inside, he still had some of that tea Levi gave him to enjoy.
***
In a clearing beside a big cliff - a towering sky bison lay on the ground sleeping with a flying lemur staring at him curiously.
Levi and the gang had left Omashu a couple of days ago and had been traveling aimlessly ever since. They just landed here to rest and replenish their supplies.
Besides the cliff there was a big forest with a thick canopy of trees that light could barely penetrate, they didn't know where they were and they didn't really care that much. It was currently night with the full moon hanging up high and shining its light down illuminating the world.
Levi couldn't help but look at it, he didn't feel anything, he didn't feel stronger or experience a boost to his bending powers, his powers didn't work that way and he was thankful for that, for if anything happened to it he would still retain them.
"Is it time?" asked Katara as she walked to his side, breaking him from his thoughts, a nervous look on her face.
Nodding Levi replied, "It is, let's go." he said before he started walking deeper into the forest with Katara following behind him.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" asked Sokka as he watched them heading into the forest, Aang also looked at them curious what they were up to.
"We have some water bender training to get done, and don't try to follow us I'll know." said Levi, crushing any hope for Sokka and Aang to satisfy their curiosity.
***
"Are you ready?" asked Levi in a neutral tone as the two of them stood in a clearing in the middle of the forest. Levi had no problem seeing in the dark but Katara couldn't, so he had to find a clearing like this where the moonlight could penetrate.
Hearing his question Katara only nodded in reply, too nervous to speak.
Seeing her nod Levi extracted the water in the air turning it into a tentacle as he grabbed a squirrel that was watching them from a nearby tree, the poor squirrel didn't even have time to react as it was dragged into the ground between Levi and Katara, the water tentacle that dragged him turning into an ice cage that encased him within, holding him in place.
"You may begin." said Levi.
Taking a deep breath Katara started going through the motions taught to her by Levi, which mostly included moving only the fingers of one hand in the direction of the squirrel.
She tried again and again but except for the squirrel being scared of being locked up and the loud howling of the winds there was no reaction at all.
"Ha-ah, I can't do it." said Katara, sighing as she put her hand down in defeat.
Seeing this Levi couldn't help but feel a little exasperated inwardly. He could tell that Katara was still holding herself back, he knew that she could do it but it was like she had a mental barrier that she couldn't get over.
"You're holding yourself back sister." said Levi honestly, getting straight to the point.
"But.." started Katara trying to justify before she was interrupted by Levi.
"No buts, believe in yourself sister, like I believe in you." he said with a warm smile, "And keep in mind it is not the bending styles that's bad it's the person wielding it." He finished with a serious face.
Hearing him Katara's eyes couldn't help but tear up a little as she nodded.
"Now try again." said Levi, his expression not changing, showing neither disappointment nor eagerness.
Taking a deep breath again Katara tried for the second time, and unlike the first this time she really believed she could do it, her brother believed in her so she would believe in herself too and wouldn't let him down.
It took a while but soon she felt a tiny sensation coming from the squirrel, it felt as if there was water moving around inside his body, and the moment she grasped that feeling she hung into it and started to bend it.
Sweat was going down her forehead but soon the squirrel started moving according to her will, lifting his hands up before bringing them down again, moving almost as if it were possessed.
Seeing this scene Katara's eyes went wide in shock before they turned into happiness, "I did it, I did it." she shouted at the top of her lungs in excitement as she ran and jumped at Levi hugging him, thankfully he was strong enough to not get knocked to the ground by her.
"Hahaha, you sure did." said Levi happily as he hugged her back, he couldn't help but feel happy and reassured.
"What didn't I tell you? You're way more talented than you give yourself credit for." he said as he released her from the hug.
Katara couldn't help but beam at that, "I guess I am." she said and Levi could immediately feel the change in her, if he had to put it into words she seemed more….confident.
***
"Wow, they sure are going all out." said Levi from a watch tower, he was currently in a Fire Nation ocean prison watching the fight happening below between a group of earth bender prisoners and the Fire Nation, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were also mixed within.
Not long ago they had met an earthbender named Haru. After that one thing led to another and Levi found himself here, freeing earthbenders from their imprisonment.
"Yes, yes, they sure are." said Acnologia dismissively as chased fish underwater, hearing him Levi's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch, he felt as if Acnologia was just humoring him, he hadn't even seen the fight yet so how did he know. He couldn't help but feel like an old man rambling, with Acnologia being his kid who just agrees with him just to shut them up.
Deciding to deal with Acnologia later Levi looked back down at the carnage below. Just like in the show the Earth Bender prisoners were currently engaged in a fight for their freedom against the Fire Nation soldiers, and with the help of Katara and the others they were gaining the advantage.
Levi decided to join in on the fun as he used his theft ability on a spear beside the dead fire nation soldier with him on the tower. It instantly appeared in his hand before he jumped, sneakily using air bending to slow his descent.
He didn't need to use theft or airbending to achieve any of that but he made it a point to constantly use them whenever he could to level them up.
As he hit the ground he was immediately spotted by a group of the fire nation who smiled evilly seeing him, he was nothing more than a young teen who didn't know what was better for him, killing him would be as easy as killing an ant, or so they thought.
At the next moment they all had either their heads or hearts pierced through by his spear before they could react, their numbers and bending not standing a chance against him at all, he moved like a shadow not making a single sound and as fast as lightning that they'll lose sight of him if they so much as blinked. It wasn't long before panic started to spread amongst them, making Levi's job even easier, he didn't even need to use his bending.
"NOO, STOP!!, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Aang from the other side of the battlefield when he saw this scene, maybe due to his air bending, his scream was even louder than the noise of the battlefield getting everyone's attention.
But when they understood what was going on they couldn't help but look at him weirdly as if he was an idiot, even the Fire Nation soldiers were no different. Sadly that moment of peace lasted only for a second before the fight commenced again.
Levi didn't pay Aang any attention as he continued his rampage across the battlefield, killing anyone who came his way and saving a lot of lives in the process, but that didn't mean that he wasn't annoyed.
He wasn't the only one killing people, and out of everyone around Aang had to pester him instead, 'Although I have to admit, my style is the most gruesome.' thought Levi as he swung his spear five times in quick succession at the fire soldier's throat in front of him, decapitating him in an instant, the spearhead too short to decapitate him in one swing, as blood gushed out from his neck like a fountain, not a drop of blood touching Levi as he gracefully moved to his next victim.
***
In a room of the fire nation's prison - After the battle ended.
"HOW COULD YOU." shouted Aang at the top of his lungs, screaming at Levi, "You could have just knocked them out, you're more than capable of that, why did you have to kill them."
"That's for you to do." said Levi annoyed, "Don't impose your beliefs on me, you don't see me doing that now do you."
"And You really don't want to see what I'm capable of, so, I'd suggest you take a step back while you still can." finished Levi in a threatening tone.
"Aaaalright now, why don't you two take a break now." said Sokka as he jumped between them, he could tell that Levi wasn't joking.
"Yeah we can talk when we've all had a moment to rest and calm down." said Katara in a worried tone as she tried to defuse the situation.
But Levi wasn't done, "Let's say I spared them, then what?" he asked, hearing him Aang didn't know how to reply, he wasn't expecting that.
For him, sparing a life was all that mattered. That was how he was raised and taught by the monks since he was young, and Levi knew it, but he didn't agree with that ideology.
He didn't wait for him to reply as he continued talking, "Let me tell you then, let me paint you a really clear picture so you understand, they would have gone on to kill, rape, and enslave even more people without giving it a second thought."
"When that happens, tell me "Avatar" will you take responsibility for it? Will you take responsibility for all the lives they take and all the lives they ruin?" At the end of his speech, Levi could see that Aang was really shaken inside and he didn't feel guilty for it, someone needed to give him a wake-up call sooner or later and it seemed like it had to be him.
"Y…You don't know that." said Aang stuttering in his words, he didn't even sound sure of it himself.
"Ha-ah, but I do Aang." said Levi sighing, his tone getting warmer this time, "That's all the fire nation does, that's what they did for the past one hundred years and that's what they will keep on doing if we don't stop them, we can't afford to fight them with one head behind his back." said Levi as he put his hand on Aang's shoulder.
"Ask yourself, would they show you the same mercy and spare your life?" asked Levi.
Hearing him Aang didn't reply as he put his head down, he knew the answer but he didn't want to say it.
"That's what I thought." said Levi as he turned and walked away, he could see tears starting to go down Aang's face before he turned all the way around.
Katara's hurried footsteps came from behind him as she rushed to comfort Aang followed by Sokka. They knew what Levi said was the truth and they agreed with him, their childhood didn't give them the luxury of naivety that Aang had, but they still felt sorry for him.
***
Levi sat in a room cross legged. The people of some village they had come across gave it to him to rest in.
Just this evening the group had found this random village that welcomed them with open arms when they found out they were with the avatar, and it wasn't long before they figured out why, apparently the village had been constantly attacked by an angry spirit and had its members abducted multiple times.
Levi knew that said angry spirit was nothing more than a panda that was angry at the trees of the forest being cut off, that wasn't why he was sitting in meditation here, it was for another reason, it was to confirm a guess of his.
He suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the resting form of Acnologia who was hiding in the corner, not a trace of him visible, perfectly merging with the darkness, 'Just as I guessed, the barrier between the spirit and physical realm is getting thinner.' he sent him telepathically.
'I also felt something weird these last few days but I didn't know what. I guess it is because of that, do you have any plans?' asked Acnologia intrigued.
Thinking it over Levi soon replied, 'When the barrier between the spirit and the physical world gets thin enough someone can pass into the spirit world with the help of a spirit or relying on their own ability.' sent Levi repeating what he remembered from his past life.
'Are we going back into the spirit realm.' said Acnologia with a hint of excitement in his voice as he sat up from his resting position.
'Well I certainly have the ability to do so.' replied Levi with a smile on his face, he couldn't help but think that Acnologia seemed to have missed his home from his reaction.
'Although it is more likely that he missed the taste of the spirits there more.' thought Levi again, shaking his head.
'Woohoo, when are we going back? When? When? When?' said Acnologia repeatedly as he ran around Levi in circles.
'I didn't say we are going back.' said Levi with a smile, but seeing the disappointed look on his friend's face he decided to stop messing with him, 'Alright don't give me that look now, soon, we will be back soon, during the winter solstice I should be able to cross into the spirit realm in my spirit state.' said Levi as Acnologia showed a look of relief that nobody else besides him would have understood.
As for the reason he was going there - by his own free will this time - it was to find paths into other worlds. He knew that the spirit realm was his gate to that and the sooner he started looking the better.
He wasn't that worried about Sokka and Katara, they were much stronger than in the canon, he had made sure of that.
He also wanted to get away from Aang for a while as he had been pestering him constantly with his pacifist ideas and it started to get on his nerves. He didn't hate him but the young airbender can be annoying at times.
As for the way back into the physical world? His own personal battery is still sitting and waiting for him, nice and quiet inside a tree in the spirit world, so why worry? He could also check on the seal to make sure it's still fine while he is there.
***
AN: Hello there ladies and gentlemen, This was a speedrun of some of the events, mostly two episodes mashed into one chapter. We can't do every episode per chapter or that will get boring real quick and it will take forever to be honest.
As for the confrontation between Aang and Levi? With their different ideologies it was bound to happen sooner or later to be honest, but I hope I did a good job writing it and getting it across.
***
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