Chapter 2: Meeting The Avatar

The courtroom air crackled with tension, a palpable entity that seemed to choke the very breath from those present. The lawgiver's voice, usually commanding and steady, wavered as he recited the litany of crimes committed by the man known as Yakone.

"Yakone has ruled Republic City's crime empire for years," he said, his eyes flitting across the assembly of frightened citizens and stern-faced officials.

From his inconspicuous position at the back, Kre'as observed the proceedings with a mixture of intrigue and contempt. His Atlantean upbringing had instilled in him a belief that power was won and held through confrontation and strength, not through words and judgements handed down by robed figures. This system of justice was alien to him, amusing even, until the lawgiver uttered a term that piqued his interest: blood bending.

"A blood bender, outside of being an Atlantean, how interesting," Kre'as mused internally, a smirk playing on his lips. "Maybe this will be fun."

The room erupted into chaos as witnesses passionately testified against Yakone, their voices overlapping into a cacophony of accusations. Sokka, the warrior-turned-statesman, rose with an authority that commanded silence and declared Yakone guilty.

Kre'as's keen gaze landed on Toph, the formidable woman who had invented metalbending. He catalogued her appearance in his memory—another show of strength to respect. Despite the noise and fury, the court reached its verdict without the shedding of blood, a stark contrast to the ways of his people. Perhaps there was merit to this method after all.

Though Kre'as was surprised, to him it was just a group of weak people unable to do anything individually, hiding behind each other, only standing out to voice their thoughts when their enemy was unable to fight back, truly pitiful Kre'as thought.

Without warning, Yakone stood, defiance etched into every line of his face. A ripple of energy washed over the room, and Kre'as felt the telltale tightening of his veins. But where others succumbed to Yakone's blood bending grip, Kre'as' innate strength and his water bending proved unyielding. "He's finally using blood bending," he thought with disdain. "However, this is too crude to work." With a subtle shift of his power, Kre'as reversed his blood and freed himself from Yakone's influence, while around him the courtroom fell into helplessness.

"Weak," Kre'as whispered, disappointment tainting his tone as his gaze shifted to Avatar Aang, who had collapsed along with the rest. "This guy is supposed to be an avatar?"

Yakone seized the opportunity to flee, leaving behind a trail of incapacitated bodies. From the shadows, Kre'as followed, leaping across rooftops with ease as if he were gliding in the air, curious to see the Avatar's next move, still left within the court room.

To Kre'as' surprise, Aang gave chase, his form blurring with the speed of wind bending—a technique thought extinct since Kre'as's arrival, Kre'as had never seen an air bender and those his father had mentioned to him as a child, were of the passive and nature-loving kind, he was interested to see how a monk would use air as an offensive tool.

"Now time for a good show," Kre'as muttered, plucking the last of his cabbage from his satchel, a quirky snack for what promised to be an entertaining pursuit and a reminder to make sure that cabbage vendor survives the incoming doom of the world.

But the entertainment was short-lived. Again, the Avatar faltered under Yakone's relentless assault. "These land people have no hope," Kre'as deadpanned, watching as Aang struggled futilely against the blood bender's elementary skills, even Atlantean children had better mastery.

Then, in a surge of light and power, the Avatar State took hold of Aang. The transformed Avatar swiftly bested Yakone, trapping him within an earthen prison. Just as Aang prepared to strip Yakone of his bending, Kre'as intervened with a well-placed kick, sending Aang staggering.

"The avatar state, such a cheat and only to beat a weak bender such is this" Kre'as gazed at the captured Yakone.

"Who are you?" Aang demanded, his stance wary but weakened.

"My name is Kre'as, general of the Atlanteans," he proclaimed, pride lacing his words. "Ex crown prince to the throne, older brother to the current king, and the strongest being above and below. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Silence hung between them, thick and unsure. Aang's suspicion was evident, fatigue pulling at his frame as though it were a tangible thing.

"Are you one of his men?" asked Aang, barely concealing his exhaustion.

Kre'as shook his head, amused by the question.

"Then are you an ally?" Relief tinged Aang's voice, but it was swiftly dashed as Kre'as denied that as well.

"I am a harbinger of war," he declared, his tone carrying the weight of his many titles. Kre'as quickly informed Aang of his history, not caring if they could do anything about the knowledge or not.

His revelation about the Atlanteans' past—their sealing by Raava and an ancient Avatar—sent a shiver of unease through Aang. If such a powerful entity deemed it necessary to imprison an entire race, what sort of threat did they pose?

"Did your ancestors align with Vaatu?" Aang inquired, defensive as the air around him grew restless with power.

"Who knows? It was a very long time ago," Kre'as said dismissively, almost bored by the history.

Kre'as' eyes began to glow—an ominous prelude—as ice crept across the ground like a living vine, twisting and slithering, leaving moss-like ice in its wake. "Just to make it fair, I won't use blood bending," he offered, though the chill in his voice belied any notion of fairness.

"You're also a blood bender..." Aang growled, accusation sharp in his tone, "You are if Yakone"

"Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you," Kre'as replied with a shrug. "However, I have been tasked to bring your head back to the king."

With that declaration, the fight commenced. Ice spikes erupted from the street, tearing at Aang's clothes, forcing him to dodge with dwindling agility. Exhaustion from his previous fight left Aang panting, his reserves nearly spent, barely able to stand, Aang knew he could not win this fight, Kre'as water bending was on another level, nothing he had ever seen before. Aang braced himself for death.

"Okay, should I come back another time?" Kre'as inquired suddenly, pausing the battle as unexpectedly as he had started it, the ice particles dissipated around him like dust in the wind.

"Y-you mean you will stop fighting and reschedule for another date?" Aang's disbelief was palpable.

"Exactly that," Kre'as confirmed, the ice around them dissipating. "What is the point if I cannot fight you at your best?"

Their standoff was interrupted by the arrival of Toph, Sokka, and the police force, who stumbled upon the aftermath of the clash.

"Twinkletoes, who is this man?" Toph's voice cut through the confusion.

"General of Atlantis, the harbinger of war... lover of cabbage," Kre'as introduced himself with a flourish, this time adding another title to his growing accolades.

"War, what is the meaning of this?" Sokka challenged, sword drawn.

"By the way, Avatar, did you take Yakone's bending away?" Kre'as inquired casually.

"Before you intervened," Aang replied, frustration simmering beneath his words.

"Good. I'm taking him with me," Kre'as declared, motioning towards Yakone. His announcement was met with protest from a lawgiver, who argued for Yakone's incarceration.

In response, Kre'as flicked a sphere of water with lethal precision, ending the lawgiver's life in an instant. The crowd recoiled in horror, questioning their own ability to evade such a swift execution. Sokka especially, his hand shaking on the hilt of his sword, as his sweat trickled from his forehead, was frozen in place, the answer evident.

"Yakone will be my tour guide," Kre'as stated, indifferent to the shock that rippled through the onlookers, "he seems to know this city from the inside out" Kre'as continued.

Aang and the others present were still in shock that one of their men had been killed, everything was moving too fast, and Toph as well was unable to keep her eyes off Kre'as, every time she tried to sense his position, she would involuntarily start to shiver as if she just jumped into the southern waters.

"Also, I should warn you, right about now similar situations will be happening all around the world, causing mayhem and chaos, you might need to prepare for that", Kre'as ripped off the earth wall that surrounded Yakone, with nothing but his strength.

Yakone was still in a daze, processing everything that had transpired, "I will wait till we are alone, then kill this fool," Yakone thought, unable to tell he was way out of his league.

Kre'as spoke before Yakone had a chance to react. He commanded Yakone to apologize to the people and declare that he would no longer be a criminal, but instead a dedicated guide for the city. Yakone refused, but before he could say anything else, his body was seized by Kre'as blood bending and forced his head to hit the ground, bowing down in submission. Kre'as chuckled, claiming that Yakone had fully changed his ways now. As Yakone was dragged away with his head still on the ground, following Kre'as footsteps, he silently cursed Kre'as for his cruel manipulation.

"Also, I will stay in this city, please challenge me with haste, my brother is not as patient as me, and I will have to provide results of my harbinger of war duties" Kre'as waved behind his back disappearing into the streets.

Aang and the others were distraught, their faces ashen with worry, "How can we face a monster like that" Sokka quivered.