It's year 2191, on Pandora. Lo'ak and Tsireya mated and had children, a daughter, Lei'wan, and then a son, Tse'hay.
Lei'wan has always lived in the reef, with her parents and extended family. Lo'ak decides to take his children and Tsireya to the fo...
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CHAPTER ONE : Soaia
Gently pushing my hand against my stomach, I close my eyes and take a very deep breath. After I feel that I have enough air in my lungs, I immerse myself in the crystal clear water.
It's this day of the year. My father always acts differently on this day. He doesn't show it, but, in twenty-one years, the pain hasn't faded a single bit. He tries to hide his sorrow by smiling more than usual, cracking jokes, or being more playful, but I see right through his game. My mother does, too.
I would like to have known my uncle. Everyone around me, and especially my parents, says that Neteyam was a wonderful person, very loyal and kind. A protective brother, a perfect son, a mighty warrior. He died four years before my birth, but I feel like he's still there, watching me growing up, protecting his family.
Every year, at the date of his death, we visit him in the Tree of Souls. My mother, unlike my father, is always very quiet, and her pain is more visible. I was told by my dad that she stayed with my uncle's dead body, while the rest of his family was in a sinking ship, during the battle against the Sky People. Mother almost never talks about this aspect of my uncle's death, but it might've traumatized her, all the more since she was only thirteen.
The Tree of Souls is right in front of us, its soft branches illuminating the entire place with a gentle blue-purple glow. My father arrives next to me, followed by my mother, and my brother, who stops on my left. I grab my father's hand, connect my queue to the Tree, and close my eyes.
After I open then again, a smile instantly appears on my lips. Although I've never been there, that's where we visited my uncle two years ago.
Bioluminiscent plants and animals illuminate this quiet night, in the pond, in the river, on the grass, in the trees, and a soft breeze caresses my face. My uncle is standing next to the pond, gazing at the stars. He slowly turns to us when he hears our footsteps, and opens his arms with a huge smile on his face. My father rushes to hug him. I always find their height difference a bit puzzling. Neteyam would be thirty-six, if he was alive, but he has kept his appearance from twenty-one years ago, and, now, my father is one head taller than him.
"Hey, mighty warrior", my dad says after letting go of the embrace.
"Hey, baby bro".
Even though I barely see his face, I can feel my father's emotions. He doesn't cry on this day (well, at least, we don't see him doing so), but I think he would need to. I don't remember ever seeing him cry. He's like my grandfather, most of the time trying to not let his emotions submerge him.
My mother, brother and me, in a corner, always let the two some alone time, before having a moment with Neteyam. I sit by the rocks that border the pond, and put my feet in the water. After some time, I feel a presence next to me. Turning my head to the right, I see my uncle sitted on the rock that's on my right, a beautiful smile lights up his face, and softens his features.
