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Iamthelorax are you still there, anyway I promised you this ages ago, sorry it took so long, I hope you enjoy it.
The Burning of Books
Once a white palace stood, surrounded by lush green gardens, a glistening beacon in the sun, an oasis of learning in a barren desert of ignorance. Its paths were walked by many; its doors open to all. This was the library of Wong Shi Tong, the great spirit of knowledge and wisdom.
He had spent his eternity collecting, books, scrolls, sketches, maps. Anything and everything that offered information. His towers climbed higher with every volume, as he filled the shelves that lined the walls. Levels of tomes waiting in the electric silence, to pass on their secrets. For books, you see are not lifeless objects, libraries musty oppressive places. Books contain the worlds, ideas and learning that can outlast all else. Libraries are the cathedrals which house these sacred things. One feels the urge to whisper because of the reverence the place demands but also so as not to awaken the sleeping universes trapped by ink and paper. Once you have written something then a part of you will live on in these words, mere thoughts brought into existence, made physical and due to our perception of the world physicality means reality hence made real.
Wong Shi Tong wanted to spread his knowledge, to cast the light of learning upon the shadows of the mortal world. He took all he knew and created his mighty library and all could read. He set into the stone one rule however to keep the balance of the worlds:
Anyone who seeks knowledge must contribute knowledge.
The spirits warned him not to give such a powerful weapon to the humans but he had faith in humanities thirst for knowledge for knowledge's sake.
He was mistaken to hold such faith.
For one day there came a fire bender, eager to learn. The hunger burned in his eyes. He drank the information greedily. When all he wanted to know was learned he committed the highest offence one can to a book.
He burned them.
Wong Shi Tong smelled the smoke from the other end of the vast building. He entered the fire blackened room in horror, ash coating his feathers as half burned pages crumbled to dust beneath his taloned feet. So much destroyed, knowledge lost forever.
His rage was terrible as he screeched unfathomable curses to the spirits, who felt their brother's pain and wept for his loss. His anger dried the oasis streams, the lush plants hide under the earth from it and sand came and buried the palace, hiding the tragic scene from view.
He left the room as it was, a mausoleum to the lost tomes. The Fire Nation flag hanging proudly over the scorched arch.
Wong Shi Tong vowed never to let another human enter his domain but left it in the mortal world, till later at least.
However the fire bender had followed Wong Shi Tong first rule, he had sought knowledge and destroyed it but he had also contributed. He had taught Wong Shi Tong something very important:
Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans.
AN: I love books, can you tell?
The thought of anything containing knowledge being destroyed especially burned ( historically a way of showing disrespect or disgust at an idea or author) makes me really sad.