"Aang? It is time for your morning training." Said an old man in monk attire standing outside a stone door that he had just knocked on.
"Aang?" Asked the old man with a slight frown as he pressed his hand against the stone door before opening it and stepping into a small room with nothing but a stone bed, a mediating matt and a shelf.
"Haa, that boy; how many times must I warn him? He's going to make this old man croak earlier than he should." Muttered the old man as he glanced at the empty room before lightly shaking his head while rubbing his chin.
Turning around, I left Aang's room and headed towards the only place where I knew I could find him; since it was still earlier, very few were awake, though as the most senior Air Nomad in the Southern Air Temple, everyone lightly bowed their heads as a form of greeting, which I kindly reciprocated. After a few minutes of casually walking, I arrived at the training ground where new and young air nomads are taught and trained on our way; while it should have been empty, given how the sun hadn't risen over the horizon, there was a singular young boy who was no older than four years old in the center of the training grounds.
Instead of outright announcing my presence, I silently watched from above as the boy steadied his posture before slamming his foot on the ground and punching his palm forward, causing a powerful gust of wind to erupt; however, he was far from over, as he utilized his young, flexible body to turn and kick the air, creating yet another gust of wind which was even mightier than before. The boy continued to train in the art of air bending for several more minutes using the various stances taught to only those who have mastered the basics of air bending, which, I shall add, is usually around the age of twelve, yet the boy down there was merely three years of age.
'Such raw talent combined with an even greater desire to master air bending; even I'm eager to see how far he'll push the boundaries of air bending.' Thought the older man with a soft smile as he silently watched the boy, who was calmly executing every move with near perfection, displaying his incredible mastery.
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Kicking the air, creating a powerful gust of wind that flew out into the distance before dispersing several meters away, I stopped my movement and furrowed my brows as I slowly lowered my leg before once again kicking, yet the outcome was the exact same, which was not to my liking.
"Hmm, it could be improved upon." Muttered the young boy calmly with furrowed brows as he lowered his foot, only to glance to his left when he heard a soft chuckle from above, only to see an old man eyeing him in amusement.
Seeing Monk Gyatso, I swiftly fixed my posture and clasped my hands as if I were praying before slightly bowing my head and greeting my teacher, guardian, and father figure.
"Monk Gyatso." Said the young boy respectfully as he lowered his head, causing Gyatso to hop over the balcony, only to rapidly halt his fall with a wave of his hand, creating a vortex that slowed his descent until he gracefully landed on the ground.
"Aang, Aang, Aang… What am I going to do with you? Constantly disobeying my words and training by yourself." Said Gyatso with a disappointed sigh as he approached Aang, who opted to stay silent, which only caused him to sigh once.
"How long were you out here this time?" Asked Gyatso as he held his hands behind his back and looked at Aang, who lowered his hands and raised his head before answering.
"One hour." Said Aang calmly as he looked at Gyatso, who narrowed his eyes at him, the two entering a staring contest for some time before the former sighed.
"Two and a half hours." Said Aang softly, his words causing Gyatso to furrow his brows before relenting and sighing, only to suddenly chop him on the head
"Ouch." Muttered Aang lightly as he rubbed his head while looking at Gyatso, who just lightly shook his.
"I know children can be difficult, but you're difficult in all the wrong ways, Aang; you're merely three; instead of training in becoming an Air Nomad, you should be playing with other children and enjoying the pleasures that life has to offer." Said Gyatso lightly as he looked at Aang before suddenly walking forward, prompting the latter to follow behind him while rubbing his head.
"I am Monk Gyatso; air bending is part of life, and I'm enjoying it to its fullest." Replied Aang lightly with a nod as he looked down at his palm, creating a small vortex in it, only for it to be dispersed by a wave of Gyatso's hand.
"Yes, I can clearly see that, young Aang; if repeatedly disobeying my words isn't a big enough clue, I don't know what is. You should know the reason I tell you not to train without my supervision is because of the possibility of your damaging your chi pathways. Such an injury, while rare, could greatly impact your ability to air bend, and in the worst-case scenario, it could even prevent you from bending altogether. I'm sure neither of us wants that." Stated Gyatso lightly as he glanced behind him at Aang, who furrowed his brows and nodded, though, from the look on his expression, it was clear he didn't intend to stop.
"I understand Monky Gyatso, but air bending… it's such a miraculous thing; I find it hard not to spend every waking moment I have to improve my technique and skill." Said Aang as he looked at Gyatso's back before looking to his left, gazing at the sun rising beyond the horizon, its morning rays shining upon the Southern Air Temple.
"I understand what you mean, Aang; till this day, even in my old age, I vividly remember how ecstatic I was when I created a gust of wind for the very first time. That day, I hadn't gone to sleep and stayed up all night trying to further refine and improve myself; I was eager to master the art of air bending…" Said Gyatso with a small smile and a nod as he stopped walking and looked to his left, gazing at the sun rising above the mountains and hills in the distance alongside Aang, who was silently airbending.
"… However, the art of air bending cannot be mastered within a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, or even a century, for that matter. I have been an Air Nomad for over six decades, yet as I grow older and gain a deeper comprehension of air bending, the ceiling I believed to be within arm's reach only gets taller and more out of reach. Something I believed I would one day achieve has grown so far out of view that even if I lived for another century, the ceiling would've only grown higher." Added Gyatso lightly with a smile of both disappointment and awe as he waved his hand, creating a mighty gust of wind far more powerful than anything Aang could currently do, almost as if he was summoning a miniature hurricane itself.
"If that's the case, instead of advising me not to further improve myself, shouldn't you be urging me? So that maybe one day I could reach the pinnacle of air bending?" Asked Aang curiously with a raised eyebrow as he marveled at Gyatso's show of technique and skill before looking at him, causing him to once again chuckle.
"Hoho, I'm telling you this because no matter what you do, no matter how prodigious your talent is, you'll never truly reach the pinnacle of air-bending; such a thing is simply impossible as there is always room for improvement. If you believe you've ever reached the pinnacle of air bending, you're simply too narrow-minded to see what lies further beyond your so-called pinnacle." Replied Gyatso with a soft chuckle as he turned and glanced at Aang before squatting down and gently rubbing his head with a smile, though the latter merely frowned.
"Well, even if you're right, Monk Gyatso, I'd like to see how far I can push the limits of air bending in my life; I want to see how far I can take air bending before I draw my last breath. Can I reach close to the pinnacle, or will I fall too short to even see it?" Remarked Aang solemnly with a calm demeanor and passionate eyes as he looked at Gyatso, who sported a wry smile while rubbing his head before standing.
"Haa, when you speak with such passion, it's hard for me to stop you." Muttered Gyatso lightly as he looked at the vast mountains and hills before turning around and walking the way they originally came from, heading back towards the training hall.
"Your training will begin in twenty minutes; make sure you attend, though before that, go and bathe; you stink." Added Gyatso with a nod as he walked down the path, only to smirk towards the end as he erupted in laughter, causing Aang to softly shake his head before sniffing his clothes.
'Hmm, I do reek.' Mused Aaang lightly as he patted himself before continuing down the path, heading towards the spring water to bathe himself.
"I don't wish to reach the pinnacle of just air bending, but earth, fire, and water bending as well. As the Avatar, I wish to see to what extent I can push bending." Stated Aang softly with a solemn yet tranquil expression as he carefully walked down stone steps.