*This chapter is a bit longer with a lot of information, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Please review or PM me and let me know what you think!
Chapter Three
They searched the desert for what seemed like hours on end with no results, but they never gave up. Every eye was scanning the sand for what could possibly be the giant Library.
"Hey, look! I think I see it!" yelled Toph, pointing straight into the desert.
Everyone got excited as they went to that side of the saddle. They looked where she was pointing, but there was nothing.
"That's what it would sound like if someone had actually seen the Library," she said as she waved her hand in front of her face.
"You know," said Sokka, "it's really easy to forget that you're blind," said Sokka, making many motions in front of her as if to test her eyes.
"Whoa, wait, are you telling me this girl is blind?" said Ed in disbelief. "You didn't seem to have any trouble walking around doing things before."
"That's because I know where everything is, but I don't see with my eyes the way you do," she said. "I see with earthbending. I can feel the vibrations through the ground and I know exactly where you are and what you're doing. Of course, I can't see a Library from the back of a sky bison the way all of you can."
"That's actually really impressive that you can do that, and even more impressive that you could overcome your disability that way," Ed replied.
"I don't see it as a disability at all," said Toph. "I was born this way, so I guess I'll never know what I'm missing."
"Hey, what's that over there?" asked Aang, pointing out into the desert.
Everyone's attention turned over to where Aang was pointing.
"I don't know, but let's go check it out," said Sokka.
They fly over to it and get off of Appa, but it doesn't look like what they were looking for.
Sokka pulled out the picture for comparison. "Look, you see? The Library is huge. This is just a tower."
They all looked over at it and compared it to the picture.
Then, Ed took a look. "Wait a sec, you see that?" asked Ed, pointing to the top of the picture. "Wouldn't you say that this looks just like it?"
Sokka took a moment to compare. "I guess, but- wait, are you suggesting that-"
"Yeah, it looks like the tip of the Library," said Ed. "It's got the same design and everything."
"So...you're saying…" said Sokka.
"Yeah, this could be the Library, only it's completely covered in sand," said Ed, looking up at the tower as he took a few steps closer to it.
"How would we know for sure? I mean, it could just be a tower," said Sokka, looking back and forth between the picture and the tower before him.
"The Library is a Spirit Library, made and designed by the Spirits, specifically Wong Shi Tong," said Ed. "He brought it out to the physical world so he could expand his collection by sending out his knowledge seekers across the planet. The architecture, size, and design isn't going to be like anything you see in a man made tower. Besides, what would be the point in building a random tower out in the middle of the desert? This is it. I'm sure of it."
"You seem to know a lot about the Library and its legends," said the Professor, impressed.
"I guess you could say I've done my research," Ed replied. "We're going to need a way in…"
He went up and examined the brick that was used to build the tower, er, the Library.
"Toph, would you say that this was made of earth?" he asked, turning over to her.
She came up and put her hand on the side of the tower. "It's not something I could bend," she said."
"That's what I was afraid of," said Ed. "It was made by Spirits, so it's made of Spiritual elements, not physical."
"Wait, what?" said Aang, confused.
"If it were made of the Physical elements, Toph could bend it and make us an opening, but since it's made of Spiritual elements, we can't bend it."
"I never realized there was a difference," said Katara.
"It makes sense, though," said Aang. "That's probably why I can't use my bending when I go into the Spirit world. It's made of different elements. Hey, how did you know that?"
"Like I said, I've done my research," Ed replied, looking up at the window of the tower. "Hey, Aang, do you think you could fly up there with a rope? You could let it down and we could all climb up from there."
Aang looked at him and nodded.
Sokka went and grabbed some rope out of the saddle and handed it to Aang, who promptly took it and his glider and flew up to the window and let it down.
"Sokka, bring some more rope when you come up. We're gonna need it," said Aang as he looked at how far down the drop was. "He was right, guys! This is the Library!"
"No wonder no one was ever able to find it," said the Professor. "Everyone was always looking for the palace structure! No one would have bothered to look at a tower in the middle of the desert!"
"No one except us…" said Toph.
"Well, we're not like everyone else," said Sokka as he started to climb the rope that Aang had let down.
After Sokka reached the top, they made the rope long enough for the other side and signaled that it was okay for the next person to start climbing. The Professor was the next one to go, and as soon as he made it up Katara. Ed waited behind to make sure that everyone got up alright, and then it was Toph's turn.
"Alright, Toph, it's your turn," he said, looking over at her as she shook her head no.
"Umm no. I think I'm better off out here. Books don't really do anything for me," she said.
"Oh...right," said Ed, feeling like an idiot for forgetting about her blindness. "Just stay with the Bison then, and stay out of trouble. Sand benders are not people you wanna mess with."
"Oh, trust me, I'm not going anywhere," Toph replied. "I can't hardly see anything with this sand being so lose."
And with that, he started climbing the rope. Aang was waiting for him at the top.
"Where's Toph?" he asked Ed.
"She doesn't do books, so she said she would rather stay out here."
Aang nodded. "I'm gonna fly down and be there to catch anyone if they fall. You okay to start the climb down?"
"Please, I've got this," he said as he flung himself over and started to ascend down the rope. "You just keep an eye on the others."
Aang grabbed his staff and started the ascent down with his airbending, just letting his created air currents carry him down.
The lower Ed got, the more amazed he was at the size and detail of the Library. From mosaics, to statues, to art and architecture, it truly was a wonder to behold and unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Finally, they had all made it down safely
"WHOA!" yelled the Professor in his excitement. "Just look at that! Oh, and that! This place truly is incredible! Just think about all of the knowledge that was put into this place!"
"There aren't a lot of people who have come into the Library, so we should consider ourselves lucky to be some of the few," said Ed.
"Where do we even begin to look?" asked Katara, and as she spoke, a large figure came from behind. It came with the appearance of an owl with black feathers and a white face. It had to of been at least 10 feet tall.
"Who dares to enter into my Library?" it asked, looking down at everyone in the group. They all looked up at the creature with dismay, even some slight terror, everyone except Ed and Aang that is.
"Are you Wong Shi Tong?" Aang asked, looking up at the creature.
"I am," said the Spirit as it turned over to Aang. "I created this Library and I have collected everything in it. This is my sanctuary, and mortal beings are no longer allowed here."
"What? Why?" asked Sokka.
"Mortals just like you have come into this Library and taken advantage of my knowledge," replied Wong Shi Tong. "They use it to plot against and destroy their enemies with their causes justified as for the greater good, but nonetheless they still used the information here for destruction and then destroy what they find so no one else could find it. I will not have my knowledge abused or destroyed, so you must leave immediately."
"But, this is the Avatar," said Sokka, trying to convince the Spirit to let them stay. "He's the bridge between our two worlds."
Wong Shi Tong looked at Aang curiously. "The Avatar?"
"Yeah, that's me," said Aang. "You have my word that the knowledge here will not be abused, Great Spirit." Aang bowed as he spoke in respect.
"Hmm, very well, but on one condition. You must prove yourselves as scholars. I require each of you to donate a piece of knowledge to this Library."
They all thought about what they had, and offered up the best they could. The Professor offered a first edition book from the University. Katara gave up her Waterbending scrolls that helped her and Aang learn some waterbending before they reached the North Pole. Aang gave in a wanted poster of him from the Fire Nation. Though the Spirit wasn't particularly pleased with the poster, he was even less happy with Sokka's contribution. He found a piece of string and made a knot before offering it up to the Spirit.
Wong Shi Tong looked down at Sokka and his knot. "You're not very bright, are you?"
"What?" said Sokka. "It's a special knot. That counts as knowledge!" He was almost a little too happy about his poorly made knot.
The Spirit rolled his eyes and unwillingly accepted the contribution before turning over to Ed.
"What will you be willing to contribute?" the Spirit asked him.
Ed took a moment to think about it. "You said part of your Library was destroyed, right?"
The Spirit hesitated. "That's right."
"Do you still have everything? All of the destroyed pieces?" he asked.
The Great Owl hesitated yet again, unsure about what Ed was getting at. "Yes. A firebender burned everything to ashes, and it is all still exactly where he left it."
Ed grinned as he got an idea. "Then I have something better for you than knowledge. I don't have any books or scrolls to offer up, but I can restore the pieces of information you lost."
"That's not possible," said the Owl. "It's all been burned to ashes."
"Yeah, Ed. What are you talking about?" said Aang. "There's no way you could put it all back together."
"Yeah, it's all ashes," said Katara. "If anything, you could probably clean it up for him."
Ed looked back at the young Avatar. "Aang, just trust me. Like I said before, I can't bend the elements like you guys can, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."
He then looked to the Spirit. "If I fix it, will you consider that my contribution?"
Wong Shi Tong looked down at Ed with skepticism, but nodded his head. "If somehow you manage to put my Library back together, I will consider that your contribution and you may roam the grounds with your group."
"Then take me to it," Ed replied.
The Spirit bowed his head. "Very well."
He turned around and led the way through the Library to a section that had a Fire Nation insignia on the back of the wall, but everything before it was burned to a crisp. The floor was covered in the ashes of the books and scrolls that were once apart of this great Library, and all of it was information concerning the Fire Nation.
No wonder it all got burned down… thought Sokka. Now no one can use this information against them in the War.
Ed took a look around. "You absolutely sure this is everything?" Ed asked.
"Positive," said the Spirit. "Every molecule of Ash is still right here. I will leave you in peace to begin your work."
"Nah, don't bother. This will only take a few minutes," he said, clasping his hands together where everyone could hear the metal from his automail touch his flesh. He then put his hands down on the ground and began to transmute everything in the room to the way it was originally. The bright light from the transmutation came as a shock to everyone. Everyone watched Ed in awe, not sure if they believed their eyes with what was happening before them as every book, scroll, parchment, and bookshelf started to come back together, almost like magic.
When he was done, he turned and looked at the Owl. "There, all done."
Wong Shi Tong looked at him in disbelief. "What kind of bending do you use to achieve such a task?"
"It's not bending at all. It's science. Go ahead, see for yourself. Everything is exactly the way it was before it was burned," said Ed.
Aang, Sokka, Katara, and the Professor couldn't stop gawking.
"What...what did you do?" asked Sokka.
"It's science," Ed replied, looking at Sokka and then turned to Wong Shi Tong. "Now that I've helped you, I need your help. Please, I need to know everything you know about the Spirit world."
"What concern do you have with the Spirit World? There is nothing there for mortals like you to interfere with," replied the Spirit.
Ed looked down to the ground. "I know I'm just another human to you, but please, the Spirit World is my only chance to get home. I have to do this." He was clenching his fists.
The Owl was curious, just like everyone else. "Where are you from?"
"I'm not from around here," Ed replied. "Let's just leave it at that."
"That still doesn't tell me where you're from," Wong Shi Tong retorted.
"That's none of your business, now, is it?!" Ed said as he started to get kinda snappy. "I said that I'm not from around here and to just leave it at that! Now tell me what you know!"
"Ed, calm down. He's not trying to get nosy. He just wants to know the connection between your home and the Spirit World," said Katara.
"Yeah, there's no need to get angry," said Aang. "This Spirit has allowed us to come into his Library when he has banished other people from coming in. We're being treated as guests here."
Ed took a deep breath and tried to calm down, knowing that they were right and that Alphonse would have said the same thing. They were reminding him of his brother.
"I'm from a country called Amestris. It's my belief that I came here through a portal in the Spirit World, something we called the Gate of Truth that could only be opened by a certain type of Alchemy."
"Alchemy, is that what you did to my books?" asked the Spirit.
"Yes. Alchemy is the science of understanding how to deconstruct and reconstruct matter and goes by the law of equivalent exchange. I was able to transmute your collection back to the way it was as long as all of the original pieces were still here so that the law of equivalency could be upheld."
"If Alchemy is what opened the gate that brought you here, why don't you open the gate with that?" asked the Spirit.
All eyes were on Ed as he thought of how to answer that. He was clenching his fists, remembering everything that had happened to him, to his brother, and to his country. They were painful memories, things he wishes never happened. His death...the Philosopher's stone...Alphonse's sacrifice...and ultimately his own that brought him here. "I did it to save my brother, but I wouldn't dare try it again, not without the amplifier I had, and even if I did have it, I wouldn't use it again unless I was truly desperate."
They could see the pain the memories brought, and Ed didn't want that. He wasn't one to show off his pain and suffering, though that was practically his life's story. He looked back up at the Spirit. "Is that enough of an answer for you? Because I think it's my turn to start asking questions."
"Very well," replied the Owl.
"The Gate, do you know where it is?" asked Ed.
Wong Shi Tong took a moment to think. "Based off of everything you told me, I believe I know where it is, but it's in a place in the Spirit World that is not to be trifled with. It contains Spirits of knowledge. They're nothing like me, though. While I have a collection and I send my knowledge seekers out to find my information, these Spirits are all knowing. They know everything that is Truth."
"That's gotta be it!" Ed exclaimed as he started to get excited.
"It is a separate area of the Spirit World. Most dare not to cross over there, for the Price of going through the gate is a grave one. Just as you said before, though I had never heard it put that way, it goes by the law of Equivalency. I strongly recommend that you stay away from it and try to make a life here, but if you insist, it will be your own destruction, and if you choose to do so then I will not stop you. The section on the Spirit World is just over there. It has everything you could possibly need to know."
While Ed was getting pumped up about finding a way home, Aang was unsure as he listened to what the Spirit had to say on the matter.
"Great Spirit, could he even go into the Spirit World?" Aang asked. "Whenever I go into the Spirit World, it's usually on accident, and I wind up leaving my physical body behind."
"Young Avatar, there are ways this can be done, but it won't be easy for him," replied the Spirit. "I have warned him of the dangers of the Realm of Truth, and getting there will be just as difficult and possibly dangerous if done in the wrong way. He has heard my warning. What he does from here is entirely up to him."
"But, it's my job to keep the balance in the Spirit World as well as the physical world," said Aang. "What if what he's looking for tips the balance of both worlds?"
"If he interferes with your job as the Avatar, then it is your duty to step in. Don't let fear overrun your job, but remember that there is a right and a wrong way to do everything," said the Owl, and with that, he was off in a different part of the Library.
*Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please leave comments, questions, etc. and tell your friends about the story- I'll try to update soon!