"Afraid of your old friend? Don't be shy," the voice continued with an ironic tone.
Listening to the mockery in that voice, Gale slowly regained his composure. When he opened his eyes, he felt like a newborn; it took a few seconds for his vision to truly grasp the scene around him.
Before him stood an immense tree, in which a spirit was imprisoned.
"So, do you remember me now?" Vaatu inquired, his laughter permeating the surroundings.
Observing around, Gale deduced where he was.
"I'm in the battlefield of Harmonic Convergence, and you are Vaatu, imprisoned in the Tree of Time," declared Gale towards the spirit.
The spirit remained silent, eagerly awaiting the question that seemed to be the most important of all.
"Are we friends?" Gale asked, struggling to maintain his composure in front of Vaatu.
When the question was finally asked, Vaatu let out a thunderous laugh, so loud that probably all the spirits in the spirit world could feel its resonance.
"We've known each other for a long time, little blue demon," Vaatu continued, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "Touch the Tree of Time, and you will remember everything."
Gale, without hesitation, obeyed Vaatu, even without fully understanding. He knew he couldn't disagree; after all, his deep-down goal was also to approach the spirit of darkness. Rising from his lotus position, he approached the Tree of Time.
Memories that he was unaware of began to emerge in his mind.
*
[Memories from ten thousand years ago]
In the depths of Gale's recollections, a memory came to mind.
He saw himself with Vaatu, but he was free. Free from Raava.
What intrigued Gale the most, however, was his own appearance: he revealed himself as a spirit. The blue horns stood out, giving him a distinct resemblance to a demon. Yet, the surprise peaked as he realized that his body was a fluid fusion of moving water. Every contour was outlined by liquid streams, resembling a waterfall in constant flux. Additionally, his body exhibited a unique transparency, a sight that simultaneously evoked both strangeness and beauty.
"I finally managed to sever my connection with Raava. Isn't it wonderful, Aquerionth?" Vaatu exclaimed, his voice conveying a sense of freedom he doubted had ever existed.
Recognizing his friend's happiness, Aquerionth agreed, though his mind was filled with reservations.
"Won't Raava come after you? Probably with that human named Wan." Aquerionth inquired, his voice laden with concern.
Noticing Aquerionth's apprehension, Vaatu chuckled.
"Of course, she's coming. The convergence is approaching, and I want you to be there. You'll see how I'll defeat her. And if that human named Wan is present, he'll be destroyed just the same." declared Vaatu, walking alongside the spirit.
"Are you willing to witness the spectacle on that day?" Vaatu asked, his voice reflecting anticipation for the day of convergence.
Aquerionth hesitated, filled with doubts. He didn't wish to be there; if something went wrong, he would be the first to suffer the consequences in such a grand battle.
"Being aware of the danger, I'll be there, Vaatu. Despite the risks, it's an auspicious day for us, spirits of darkness. If Raava falls, I'll be pleased," Aquerionth said, his voice echoing a malevolent desire.
Then, the scene changed again in Gale's memories.
The day of convergence had arrived.
On one side, Vaatu in his grand form; Raava was utterly weakened, while darkness grew with each passing second. Gale also noticed the presence of the human Wan.
Even aware of Vaatu's imminent defeat, Gale continued to watch the memory, eager to know what would happen next.
The battle unfolded as expected, the first Avatar emerged, with Raava and Wan merging into a harmonious state. However, something that had never been narrated in the pages of the books unfolded before his eyes.
Aquerionth, realizing that Vaatu would be sealed, assumed that Wan would close the portals. If Vaatu were sealed, and the portals closed, what would happen to the spirits? Would they be trapped forever in the spirit world? Aquerionth's spiritual reasoning began to work quickly.
"What should I do?" Aquerionth thought as he witnessed Vaatu being sealed.
Suddenly, the horned spirit did the unthinkable. He ran toward the southern portal.
"First, I need to get out of here," Aquerionth reflected, running toward the southern portal.
Upon crossing the portal, he felt his strength weaken as Wan had closed the northern portal. Soon, the southern portal was closed from the outside, completely severing the spirits' connection to the spirit world.
When Aquerionth realized, it was too late. A new era had dawned: the era of the Avatar, where balance had been disrupted, and the side of good had prevailed.
Realizing his strength weakening each day, he decided to withdraw, like a coward who knew it was impossible to bring Vaatu back at that moment. He secluded himself enough to formulate a plan.
Gale, watching the memory, experienced a strange feeling. It was as if he were a broken glass, finally piecing together the lost shards over time.
Soon, a new, more advanced memory emerged: the Hundred Year War.
Finally, Gale had reached a more tangible time, one he had read about long ago. In the Hundred Year War, Aquerionth decided to take action. He observed a movement growing each day: the organization called the White Lotus. Seizing the opportunity, he infiltrated the organization, but first, he needed a physical body.
Like any other spirit, Aquerionth could enter the body of a human, but soon that body would take on the characteristics of the spirit, killing it. So, he decided to employ a different technique: what if he entered the human while it was forming in the fetus?
To test his theory, he spent a hundred years trying to assimilate with children, but all attempts failed, as expected. However, in one of the attempts that spanned a century, he finally succeeded. The body assimilated with the spirit, but slowly enough for him to act.
Taking over the body of a human who would later be called Xai Bau, he created the Red Lotus.
"So, I created the Red Lotus?" Gale said, as a massive headache surged.
When Xai Bau's death finally arrived, all organization members knew he was a spirit, and they all accepted him. However, Aquerionth knew that if he died, it would take a long time to find another body that could sustain him for an extended period. So, he suggested an idea: he would do as Raava did; his spirit would still be with the soul of Xai Bau. They would become one.
He achieved this, but with a tremendous loss. All his reincarnations would have their energy channels linked to the spiritual blocked. He could never enter the spirit world again.
Nevertheless, he accepted it, prepared for his imminent death.
And the day came, the day Xai Bau or Aquerionth died.
A new memory emerged: the cry of a child in the Southern Tribe.
"Forget this," Gale shouted. "I don't need to revisit the memory of the day I was born, son of Kael."
Gale lay on the ground, sighing heavily, as he assimilated the memories of his past lives.
Looking at his extensive blue hair, he sighed deeply.
"Are you the only remaining memory of the possible assimilation?" Gale pondered with himself.