ATLA, In A Darker World

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— Density Shifting: Allows you to alter your body density and the density of other objects.

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As one of the three perks he could cram into his wish bar, it was quite frankly the one Luca had the highest expectations for.

Although mastering this wouldn't immediately give him great offensive lethality, it would definitely increase his survivability by dozens of notches.

Perhaps to the point of being unstoppable.

After all, you can't kill what you can't touch.

As one of Martian Manhunter's signature skills, it was the greatest restraint for all forms of bending in the avatar world.

As long as he wasn't caught before he could activate it, even Ozai, Iroh, Kitara with blood bending and Aang in his strongest Avatar state would be helpless against him.

Although it wasn't as convenient as a certain eye technique that allowed one to reach the state of coming and going at will, it was not to be underestimated.

Then, he took a look at the cost requirements.

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Cost: 85 Chi/Per second

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"...". Ok, it was expected.

Following which, his gaze turned back to his current Chi points.

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Chi: 1

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"... Well …". Looking at the numbers on his retina, his eyelids twitched slightly.

Turns out, he didn't even have enough one eightieth of the required amount needed. And it was per second.

In order to get this, he specifically set the restrictions for increase in required energy needed for skill activation.

At this stage, he couldn't even afford a single use at all.

Luca had his eyes narrow as he moved away from the skills and set his sights on the physical stats.

The highest was 11 in constitution, followed by 10 in strength and 9 in dexterity. Anyone who had even a little bit of understanding of video games would need no explanation.

Then, there was perception with 8 points and Chi with 1 being the lowest.

After a bit of contemplation, he knew he would have to have a physical discussion with others if he wanted to gain an accurate understanding of how well these attributes were.

But if it was a rough estimation, then he could do that on his own.

His current body was nothing special. At least, he didn't feel even the slightest bit overpowered, or strong for that matter.

The fall from the hill could attest to that. His body was nothing superhuman.

Perhaps, up to the level of a physically fit athlete.

'So …. An above average male'. The thought crossed his mind, settling firmly.

As for the Chi ... He didn't know. There was no feeling of a special energy swirling around through his limbs or near his abdomen.

And he wasn't a native of this world so ..... If he had to guess, then his Chi was practically the same as a regular person. Or …. Perhaps even lower. The level where he could do nothing whatsoever with it.

Perception was below average. So he probably wouldn't notice if someone with light footsteps was sneaking up on him from behind.

Pertaining to his survival, these were all problems.

Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Chi could all be resolved. The first three through practice, the last through his second perk. Perception however, he didn't know how to improve that.

As for what Achievement Points meant, he didn't know.

Neither did he understand why the race option was blank. And honestly, he didn't really want to ponder the possibilities now.

That aside, the alignment caught him slightly off guard.

Lawful Evil?

What exactly did that mean?

The term was one he knew of yet knew not what it meant entirely. Well ... He didn't know how exactly it could be used in relation to him.

Luca frowned slightly at the thought. It was normal really. Anyone who saw something describing them as evil when they clearly felt they weren't would feel the same way.

In his past life, he certainly wasn't a saint, but he definitely wasn't a villain either.

That aside.

With his second perk, the problem of Chi to use his ability never bothered him. As long as he was given some time and found some Fire Nation soldiers, preferably benders with large chi pools, he would be able to fill up his after extracting from hundreds of benders.

As for how he was going to beat a bender ..... That was the concern for future him to worry about. At worst, he would start small from animals.

If that didn't work, he would find a way to trap some bad guys and criminals.

And that brought him to his last perk on inspection.

Strangely however, the last one was represented in digits like the attributes.

Only .....

"This ..... Isn't this a bit too high?"

The thought of using what was left of his Perk Wish to exchange for increased Chi control wasn't really something he had thought over thoroughly.

It was one of his choices based on a momentary whim.

So to see what was before his eyes was definitely surprising.

Luca didn't know how high this should stack when compared to others but just from the stats alone, it was his highest. Surpassing second place by almost seventeen times.

The possibilities of what such a high stat implied was something he didn't know for now. Nonetheless, he had ideas.

Nevertheless, now wasn't the time. After familiarizing himself with everything in the panel, he knew what his next move should be.

Chi.

Now increasing his total Chi capacity was the most important thing as only then could he activate density shifting. When he had enough chi, he could begin to experiment.

Such was the fate of those who had no AI systems. He would receive no instruction manual for this thing.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

At that moment, several soft knocks fell into Luca's ears, drawing his attention away from the panel.

"Um …. Come in".

The door was pushed open with the one striding in being Elder Wu who had left earlier. In his left hand was his walking cane and in the right was a bowl of what Luca could only assume to be steaming hot food.

"Here you are". He said as he placed the bowl before him with a spoon inserted into it.

"You're probably hungry after waking up. I thought it best you eat something".

"I .....". Seeing the plate of food before him, Luca felt slightly complex.

He was hungry. Quite thirsty too.

The old man just gave him food. How thoughtful. Was everyone in the village this nice?

'Wait! Why would this old man suddenly give me food?'

If there was anything he learned from his old life, it was that nothing in the world was free.

There were very few good people who existed. And unconditional help was harder to see than a thirty-year-old virgin.

What was the catch for all this good treatment?

That complex feeling soon turned to slight suspicion. Nevertheless, he didn't voice it out.

"Thank you, elder Wu".

"Don't mention it, child. This world is hard enough as it is already. A bit of kindness every now and then hurt no one".

The old man sighed with a hint of melancholy and sadness in his tone.

"This war is hard on all of us. The refugees grow increasingly with each passing day as the fire nation march across the lands. Many cities and villages have fallen into their hands. Our town would have been no exception as well, if not for the unsuitable area".

His words perked Luca's attention.

"The Fire Nation ..... They were here?" The young man asked as he placed his legs on the floor while rising from the bed.

"Of course". Elder Wu nodded.

"They came to this place around two years ago, conquering the surrounding lands around the great city of Omashu. But the terrain here was unsuitable for their plans; hence they let us be. But not before torching the forest area beyond those hills you were at the bottom of".

The old man said as Luca walked towards the table. There laid the black robes he wore upon arriving in this world.

Apparently, it was taken off in order to apply hearing ointment to the bruised Ares from his fall.

Luca didn't like leaving himself exposed, so he opted to put them back on again.

Picking up the robe, his eyebrows were closely knit as thoughts passed through his mind.

The old man's words .....

The description of the area sounded so familiar. It was definitely from the Avatar series, but why couldn't he clearly remember episode?

He never heard of Senlin Village before. Or he did but forgot.

Seeing his expression, Elder Wu tilted his head to the side.

"Did you remember something?"

"... No". Luca replied after a moment of silence.

"But I'm trying". He knew the old man was talking about his memories, but he wasn't going to tell him where he actually came from.

"Oh! A shame". He sighed, then looked at Luca with inquisitive.

"But from my take, you don't look much like a refugee at all".

"Huh?" He turned to the old man with puzzled eyes.

"I mean your skin". The old man said and pointed out.

"It's fair, a bit too fair. You don't seem to have been under the sun much, or look like one who does regular labor. Not something regular people in the earth kingdom can have".

He uttered while stroking his beard as he examined the boy before him properly.

Long black hair that stretched down the sides of his face as bangs, stopping at his cheeks.

The top was slightly curly, with blue eyes looking at him with confusion, and fair skin tone.

According to standards, this was a handsome young lad with a good countenance that could gain a good impression upon first sight.

He should know, after all he was quite the charmer during his early years ... Ahem.

However, he didn't know why. But something always felt …. Off about this young boy. That alongside ...

"Although you don't remember anything, I would say you come from a wealthy family in the earth kingdom. Perhaps a runaway from home".

"...". What an active imagination.

Luca was slightly stunned at the old man's thought process. Following which, he showed a wry smile.

" ..... Well, that is a possibility".

In fact, there was one thing the old man didn't mention. When Luca was found, he was bleeding on the head.

In order to make sure he wasn't injured anywhere else, his clothes were removed for a thorough check.

There and then, the old man was shocked at what he saw.

Scars ..... The young boy's back had been decorated with numerous scars from several injuries. Some looked like Whip marks, others, blade marks.

But from the looks of it, these wounds had happened some time ago. Several months on estimation at the least.

For such a young boy, it was horrifying.

He might be a captured child from a wealthy family who escaped from fire nation soldiers after they destroyed his home.

Perhaps he was beaten severely before he managed to escape.

That would explain why he appeared where he found him with patched skin and a flat stomach.

Only the heavens knew what this poor child had gone through. So much that he had no recollection of it after injuring his head. Perhaps, his mind wanted to forget it entirely.

Thinking of this, his expression remained unchanged.

Everyone had their unique story.

"So child, what are your plans now?"

Luca didn't respond at first. His head was lowered as he pondered what to say to the old man in his thoughts.

"I ..... I'm not sure. Perhaps I should start with looking at a map to see where I am exactly. Perhaps I can remember where I come from that way. After that .....". He paused for a moment, then continued.

"I guess I'll decide what to do after that".

The old man was silent.

Luca sighed. A look of hesitation appeared on his face before asking.

"I don't mean to trouble you. I can leave tomorrow. And I know it's a bit stepping over my boundaries, but I wonder if you could help me with a map and ..... Perhaps some food for my journey".

Luca uttered through gritted teeth.

It has taken a lot of mental strength to say those words through them.

Back on earth, he rarely asked for things. He was taught to be content with whatever he had and to avoid asking from other people.

And that idea only solidified when a former classmate asked him to kneel and beg for a job recommendation after he asked for one.

This wasn't a matter of pride, but principles.

He never asked, and so, he rarely gave. Even if he had to give to others.

But he knew that now was not the time to be stubborn.

He was new in this world. Without a map, he wouldn't even know where to go.

As for food, it was even more vital. He didn't have a flying bison, and hence he would probably starve to death while travelling a long distance.

A map should be fine but asking for food, especially when not knowing the situation of this old man and his village, could easily lead to a problem.

If the old man refused on the grounds that he didn't have much, then the embarrassment would be overwhelming.

Elder Wu was silent for a moment, before shaking his head.

Luca's heart sank.

"That won't be a concern. But you can't leave tomorrow".

Contrary to his expectations, the old man agreed but shook his head for a different reason.

"Why?"

"Because young one, the winter solstice is approaching".

"The winter ..... Huh?"

"The winter solstice. A day when the line between our world and the world of the spirits blurs as the two draws closer together. It is the easiest time for creatures from the spirit realm to enter our world".

Elder Wu explained.

"The solstice is only a few days away. It is generally not safe to travel around forest areas during these times, as you could possibly anger passing spirits if you encounter them by chance….".

The old man continued, but Luca paid no heed. Instead, his mind was replaying the only three words he registered from everything Elder Wu just stated.

'The Winter Solstice .... The Winter Solstice'.

The winter solstice was episode seven of book one in the Avatar series. In that episode, Aang, Sokka and Katara came across a small village that was being plagued by an angry spirit a day before the solstice.

Also known as He Bai. The black and white spirit.

It was angry due to the forest that was burned down by the fire nation.

Not knowing the true culprits, it turned its rage to the villagers three days before Aang arrived at sunset.

At that moment, everything came together. The burned forest, the small village, the old Elder Wu, the winter solstice.

Luca understood everything.

He was currently in Book one, Episode seven of the Avatar Series.

And this was the village that was attacked by the black and white spirit before Aang showed up.

Luca turned his gaze out the window and happened to meet the sun disappearing.

And at the entrance of the village, a large monstrous creature colored black and white slowly appeared out of thin air.

"Well, I'm screwed".

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