“It matters not what the outcome of the battle was- it wouldn’t have mattered if the knowledge he had taken from me was what ended the war,” he said, somewhat annoyed with the first half of what she said. “But yes, you seem to have generally grasped it. I felt betrayed. Immensely so, and it was far from the first time that I had been lied to and betrayed by a human. Instead of attempting to mend my relationship with humanity as a proper Avatar should, Aang did only exactly what I expected and betrayed me like nearly every human before him.
“I felt incredibly angry and…upset with myself. My Library’s intent is to cure ignorance, not encourage it through the aiding of wars. I had tried over and over again to make this happen, and over and over again I had failed. I have more resources than any human or spirit in the universe,” he raised a wing, motioning to the Library at large, “and I still failed.
“So I cut myself off. Isolated myself from everything but my Library and my knowledge seekers, and I seethed in my feelings of failure and anger. Having the Library in the spirit world made it excessively difficult for the knowledge seekers to obtain new knowledge, so I couldn’t even find new distractions most of the time. I’m certain it’s easy for you to see how that would corrupt a spirit.
“And then Unalaq came. Of course I was furious to see a human in my Library, and attacked him immediately. But he was very skilled, and eventually got in a position where he could spirit bend me. I could have easily shaken it off, but he was not bending me towards the light- he was bending me towards the dark. I could have, and should have, fought it off, but I am ashamed to say I allowed him to push me that much further into darkness.”
Jinora listened to his tale with a growing sadness of her own. He really had been trying to help humanity better themselves, and for what? To be betrayed time and time again? It was no wonder he was pushed toward darkness.
"That sounds awful" she confessed. "You certainly aren't the only one who was bent to his will. I....only understand spirit bending in theory, but my understanding is that it is a test of will as much as chi. In a world so full of darkness, it must be hard for anyone not to fall victim to it, man or spirit."
"So....you were being controlled by him then, once I met you?" she added, almost sounding hopeful now. She wasn't sure but...his story at least seemed to suggest that might be the case. And if that were so, it would certainly be much easier to forgive him.
