Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. I do not claim rights over any of the characters, places, or anything in this story.
That said,.. This is a story about Professor Zei of the Ba-Sing-Se University. I wrote this story because i often find myself wishing i could check out of the world, close myself in a hut in the middle of nowhere, and just write all the stories that i've been dreaming of finishing. I'm sure there will be those of you that would share that wish. Unfortunately life holds to many demands and responsibilities for me to even consider this wish in the realm of good possibility. So just for a moment i want to picture a person who actually does get this wish so i can hang it on the wall(fanfiction ~,~b), and stare at it anytime i feel bad about reality. Its positive reinforcement! Nothing depressing.
It's pretty short, and not that great(i might tweak it),.. but please, enjoy :]
Professor Zei woke up slowly from what felt like the deepest sleep he had ever had in his life. Slowly, he regained consciousness. Green light from overhead coaxed him into opening his eyes fully taking in his surroundings.
He was in a library of some sort, that much he could tell. Monolithic shelves standing at least three stories high towered all around him. The shelves were filled to the brim with books, scrolls, and other forms of literature.
Zei got up and examined some of the books on the closest shelf. "Northern water tribe: tribal laws", "The reign of Yunrak the terrible", "The tiger seal ordeal". Nearby a red sign read "Political History of the Water tribe". This must be the Politics section of the library, Zei thought, as he looked the shelf up and down.
He selected a particularly aged looking scroll, and carefully enrolled it. Titled, "Cheifs of the water tribe" it did not seem to have an author, but at the bottom of the scroll in very small handwriting there seemed to be a date. A moment later the professor screamed aloud, and almost dropped the scroll in his surprise. It was written in 3,830 B.G! Three thousand years before the formation of the four nations. Making this document almost quite literally as "old as time itself", and more valuable than five Professor Zeis. The Professor was exhilarated by the find, but also terrified of damaging the priceless relic. With the care of a mother handling a newborn child, he softly rolled the scroll back up and placed it back on the shelf. Only when it safely back on the shelf did he allow himself to breath again.
Zei knew of only a few artifacts in the world that dated as far back as 3,000 B.G. and they were only scraps, pieces of things that had once been whole. And here was this scroll 3,000 years old, perfectly intact, and just sitting on a shelf like a weekly tabloid.
Where was he? What was this place?
Suddenly from overhead there was the sound of beating wings. Zei turned around only to be face to face with what seemed to be gargantuan owl. Zei had never known any owl to stand 12 feet tall and was fascinated by the thing. The Owl stood motionless for what seemed like an eternity, staring at Zei with huge jet black eyes. Finally the silence was broken by a deep resonating voice.
"You have no reason to be afraid. I will not harm you."
Zei looked around. There was nobody around apart from him and the giant owl. It was the owl that was talking to him. Amazing! This owl must be some sort of spirit of some sort. Zei had read about people having contact with the spirit world, and talking to all sorts of otherworldly creatures. The avatar was supposed to be one of those people. The avatar,.. a little bell rung in Zei's mind as he thought the word.
Zei shook the thought from his head and stood, straightening himself up.
"you must be a spirit." he said excitedly. "my name is..." as Zei reached out mentally for his own name he realized that he did not know it. What was his name?
"You are Professor Zei, of the the Ba-Sing-Se University." said the spirit, answering Zei's unvocalised question.
"I believe that is what you told me when you were alive."
"Alive?"
"Yes."
"Are you saying I'm dead?"
"I believe that it is what it is called when a mortal is not alive. So yes."
Zei patted himself down, he was still physically all there. His body, even his clothes. He still felt strange though. He felt much lighter than he should be, and he could not remember much of anything about his past. He checked his throat and could feel that he did not have a pulse.
"So where am I?" he asked the giant owl. "Who are you? How did I die?"
The spirit laughed. Spirits laugh, Zei thought, how fascinating.
"Figures that a professor would be so inquisitive. I am Wan-shi-tong" the owl gestured with a wave of one of his giant wings "and this is my library, which is now located exclusively in the spirit world, thanks to you and your friends."
"You are Wa-Shi-Tong? You actually exist?"
"yes I exist"
The professor threw up his hands in ecstatic joy. "and this is the fabled Library of Wan-shi-tong!?"
"Yes it is"
The professor shouted with happiness jumping around like a little kid presented with the toy he always wanted.
"At last! My entire life I have searching for this place and all my attempts ended up in vain. But I am here! The Library of wan-shi-tong!"
The Owl nodded it's huge head. "yes yes, congratulations" it said in a chiding voice.
Despite his exuberant elation, Zei calmed himself and thought about what the Owl had said.
"But you said this library is now exclusively in the spirit world."
"It is."
"So I really am dead aren't I?
"You really are."
Zei had mixed feelings about the fact of it. "How did I die?" he asked.
The Owl cocked his head to the side, the owl equivalent of raising an eyebrow. "Oh? you would like to know how you died?"
Zei thought about it again, and then answered sure of himself. "yes I would."
The Owl stepped closer to Zei. "Stand still please". The Owl took one of his massive wings and wiped it across Zei's face.
Suddenly Zei was looking down on himself in the middle of a library isle surrounded by a mountain of literature. Sand was pouring heavily from the ceiling and the entire library was shaking violently.
In the distance a group of kids were climbing a rope leading up to the ceiling. A funny looking young man in what looked like water tribe garments shouted from the rope. "Professor! Let's go!". The professor saw himself look up at the young kids and shake his head. " I'm not leaving" He said. "I can't! I've spent too long trying to find this place. There's not another collection of knowledge like this on earth. I could spend an eternity in here". Another one of the kids, a girl in similar water tribe clothes yelled "just go!", and the kids continued to climb the rope. Suddenly Wan-Shi-Tong came into view and lashed out at the rope causing all three to fall. That was when Zei saw an airbender fly for the first time in his life.
A young man in a air monk robe whipped out a glider of some sort, and literally flew up and out of the ceiling with his friends in tow. Wow Zei thought. That was the Avatar. An airbender. The last of his kind.
Zei turned back to himself and saw that the piles of sand had already swallowed the majority of the floor. His past self was forced to get up and move to a dry spot under a archway in a staircase. With the last book he would ever hold, he sat down and begun to read. Zei didn't even have time to look up when the ceiling caved and hundreds of thousands of pounds of sand crashed into the library entombing everything in it.
Professor opened his eyes to find himself again in the library. It was in perfect condition with no sign of any sand or Avatars. Wan-Shi-tong sat high up on the corner of a shelf across from Zei.
"You say you lived your life trying to find my library. Funny that when you finally do find it you meet your end." He said from his perch.
Zei smiled bashfully "yes I suppose that is sort of funny".
"Well, you will be happy to know that my library is open to all spirits of the spirit world for all of eternity."
"I could spend an eternity in here" he had said, as the library was crashing down around him.
"Enjoy professor." The Owl said before flapping his giant wings and disappearing into the ceiling.