Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 142

105 years after the genocide of the Air Nomads.

Yui Bay. Air Island Temple.

Several small but remarkably agile figures darted across the lush green grass. Despite their young age, their still-chubby legs covered several meters in a single second.

"Kushi, you should practice Earthbending more often!" a girl who looked about eight or nine years old shouted cheerfully. Her two lively braids perfectly suited her tanned, round face.

"R-r-r! Hime!" came a genuine growl from the throat of a younger girl chasing after the first. Her chestnut hair was already tousled, her green kimono wide open, its sash lying somewhere far behind. "Take this!" she stomped her short foot, causing a tall earthen wall to rise in front of the first girl.

Hime, without slowing down, simply leaped over the two-meter obstacle. Anyone knowledgeable about life energy would surely marvel at the girl's abilities in this field.

"I gave you a full ten seconds!" a voice called from behind them. Before another second passed, another small conqueror overtook the first two. Judging by her movements, she was well-acquainted with the element of air.

Forgetting their eternal rivalry, Hime and Kushi tried their best to catch up with their younger sister, who was already almost at the tree. It's worth noting that in this game, the winner is the first to touch the bark of the beautiful tree grown by one of their mothers.

"Kushi and Hime—zero, Tomoko—twenty-three!" greeted their peer, Kushi's contemporary, whose features resembled the other two. Only she had long black hair that fell freely onto her snow-white face, occasionally covering her mesmerizing golden eyes.

"I don't want to play this game anymore," pouted the middle sister, a miniature version of Avatar Kyoshi.

"Let's go play with Aine!" suggested the eldest, pointing her finger at the massive body of the golden dragoness, who occupied nearly a quarter of the island. Near her, small flying bison played calmly. It was clear they were used to such a neighbor.

*

Same place, same time. Yo.

"Shika, don't you want to go play with your sisters?" I lowered my head to the top of my daughter's head as she sat on my lap.

"..." the girl, whose hair was either blue or silver and who had small horns growing on her head, shook her head. The next moment, her attention returned to eating fruit.

"Haaah..." I sighed to myself, making the little introvert more comfortable.

Our long-awaited daughter with Gaia, like Celine, appeared immediately as a three or four-year-old girl, already possessing some knowledge. From the first days, it was clear she was very, very calm. She didn't want to run around the Library or damage it in any way. She just loved to sit and observe everyone. Soon, this pastime was supplemented by eating berries or fruits—always with a tangy twist! Being gifted in the elements of nature, water, and earth, like Celine, Shika easily grew the fruits she loved.

At first, I wanted to name her Gan Yue, as she so resembled a character from a game in my past life. The names Gaia suggested weren't even considered. It turned out she was even worse at naming than I was... In the end, we settled on Shika, which in Japanese means "gentle deer." She truly gave the impression of being a little fawn, one you just wanted to cuddle.

The greatest joy at her birth was felt by Gaia, and perhaps only slightly less by Celine, who had long wanted a little sister. For a whole week, Gaia walked around as if in a dream, not leaving Shika's side for a moment. And it seemed her behavior scared the little one a bit...

"Hold on, Aine," I sent her a message, seeing how the more active of my daughters were swarming around her. Though... swarming is too strong a word, as all three of them together didn't even make up one percent of her body.

"I'm fine, Father," she replied lazily, continuing to bask in the sun. Recently, her combat instincts had begun to awaken fully—after all, dragons aren't herbivores. She seriously missed life-or-death battles. I, and all her other loved ones, simply couldn't give her what she needed, as she couldn't truly fight with her pack-family. So, I allowed her to fight in the Spirit World, but only near settlements of light spirits where at least one ancient spirit was present. Of course, it's a safety net, but I still trust her judgment. Besides, I often watched her at first and must admit she never took risks.

My thoughts were interrupted by the tongue of the now-grown bear-dog, who began licking my hands. Hime's eternal companion, Tail, didn't possess the vast reserves of life energy her mistress had, so she periodically came to us to rest.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to keep up with everyone soon," I patted her soft belly. It was unpleasant to see Balto starting to lose his youthful appearance. I wouldn't call him an old man yet, but the years were taking their toll. I don't know how, in the cartoon, Naga—Korras pet—lived so long, when here these same animals run on the earth for only about fifteen years on average. Maybe Korra somehow unconsciously affected her with her light energy. Who knows. Even Wan Shi Tong doesn't know all the possibilities of high-order energy. I didn't want to see my old friend wither away, so I began intensively studying his energy channels and source. Modest successes in this field have already appeared; all that remains is to somehow increase his life energy, which in theory should give him another decade of life.

My plan is to teach this same "upgrade" process to our healers, who can perform the necessary procedures on all the other bear-dogs. The thing is, the popularity of these animals has risen again, demand is always there, but supply is lacking. They've started to attract interest in other countries... Not to mention that the Southern Water Tribe has long been waiting for a new litter of puppies.

"Dad, Kushi and Hime are fighting again!" a little air nomad ran up to tattle on her sisters.

"Let them play," it'll be easier to put them to bed later... But just in case, I decided to see what they were up to. Activating my chakras, I began to listen to their conversation, which was interrupted only to create new techniques.

"I'm the one sleeping with Dad tonight!" Kushi was brimming with fighting spirit. Her energy channels circulated quickly, enhancing her physical abilities. With each new step, stone hands emerged near her opponent, trying to grab Hime.

"Younger ones must obey their elders!" Hime didn't back down either. Dodging skillfully, she sent water blobs at her sister.

"Same as always," both girls have such combative personalities that they often, so to speak, clash. Both possess immense talent in intuitive control of life energy and are equally talented in bending. "Little monsters..." the idea of having as many children as possible keeps popping into my head. What's the harm? They'll grow up and peacefully beat up all Dad's enemies. Ah, dreams...

Shizuka decided to name our daughter Kushi, and I didn't object. I noticed another trait of mine that only emerged with the birth of my third daughter from a human woman. Likely due to my half-spirit nature, my children don't resemble me much. It seems I, on the contrary, find the best in the genes of my partners and enhance them even further, producing an improved version of the mother herself. Otherwise, I can't explain why Shizuka and I produced a miniature version of Avatar Kyoshi...

"Let's go break them up," I stood up, holding Shika in my arms. "Good job, Tomoko," I patted the daughter awaiting praise on the head.

"I want to be held too!" she looked enviously at Shika. Fulfilling her request, I began walking toward my other children.

"Aang taught me a new move last time!" Tomoko shared with me. She was wrapping Avatar Aang around her finger. How else? The girl is an Airbender! And even though she looks like a true native of the Fire Nation Islands, her mischievous personality truly resembles the Avatar's. Probably because everyone indulges her every wish. In the Palace, she's spoiled by Mei, Ty Lee, and Azula. Alright, alright, Ursa and I can't always resist her pleading eyes either. Beyond the islands, she's always surrounded by other family members who can't be strict with her.

Ursa had a hard time giving birth to her daughter. Tomoko's development required a lot of energy, which Ursa simply didn't have. So, for all nine months, she didn't let go of the life energy crystal. But because of that, her birth was even more long-awaited. And as far as I understand, all that energy went into opening the air source. It couldn't go unnoticed—Ursa received many pleasant bonuses: an increased source, strengthened and deepened channels, and a partial opening of airbending. In five to ten years, this world will see another Airbender.

"Dad's coming!" Kushi, who spotted me first, whispered.

And just as I reached them, they were already standing calmly beside each other, presenting an image of friendship. It seems they didn't consider that behind them lay torn-up earth and the remaining stone hands released from the ground.

Even Shika and Tomoko looked at their older sisters with puzzled expressions. If even they weren't fooled, what about their more observant father? Unable to withstand my stern gaze, which I retained from my virtual life as a shelter caretaker, they quickly said:

"She started it!" they pointed at each other.

Setting Shika and Tomoko on the ground, I began slowly approaching the cowering girls. Closing their eyes, they awaited the inevitable... hugs!

"Now I get to cuddle my little delicious babies!" I gently pressed them to me.

"Stop it! I'm already grown up!" Hime weakly resisted our affections. She loved acting like she was in charge, and with my actions, she clearly lost her authority!

"Yeah, me too!" little copycat Kushi didn't want to lag behind her sister and began mimicking Hime's behavior.

After satisfying my "craving," I took all my daughters to the new Air Temple—it was time for them to eat.

The entire island has undergone changes. Now, even the most fastidious aristocrat wouldn't hesitate to live here. A whole complex of buildings caters to every whim. There are hot springs, a training hall, a dock, a plaza for various events, a small beautiful garden—the list could go on.

It's here that I often gather all my children, giving their mothers time to rest. It's better if they get used to the fact that their father has other partners with children from an early age. This way, they'll quickly get along with each other, not dividing their sisters into biological and non-biological.

Now, I only use my Rokku, Wan, and Yo personas when around strangers, i.e., in public. Within the family circle, I've decided to be only in my true form, the one I received at birth in the Northern Water Tribe. All my women insisted on this, wanting to see only the real me.

After several hours of playing with the children, I began preparing them for bed. First, a small snack—their hungry tummies wouldn't let them sleep. Then, the obligatory bath, which, as usual, turned into a water battle. Finally, a short bedtime story and kisses on their foreheads.

"It's hard being a father to many..." it's a good thing I have an abundance of energy, because if I were an ordinary person, the girls would drain all my strength in an hour.

Follow current novels on freewebnσvel.cѳm.

After making sure everyone was asleep, I, surrounded by four tiny bodies, also drifted into the realm of dreams.