Prologue

Water

Earth

Fire

Air

The Gods

The Seraphs

The Spirits

The Demons

The Vampires

and the Humans

Long ago the mortal realm was at peace. Humanity lived in peace with nature and the spirit world. The Demons kept to their realm. The Gods and Seraphs watched from theirs. Life was good and plentiful.

But then everything changed when the Vampires emerged. Many of these blood thirsty monsters could wield one of the four elements similar to human masters. However they were also stronger, quicker and ageless. They took humanity by surprise.

Only the Avatar Master of all four elements could stop the Vampires. But when the world needed him the most he vanished. Centuries past and the Progenitor Vampires carved up large areas of land for themselves-keeping humans as live stock. Other parts of the world remained in Human control resisting the Vampires.

Some believed that the Gods broke the Avatar Cycle and the Avatar was never reborn into one of the lands of Air. But I and others never lost hope. I always believed the Avatar would return and save Humanity from the Vampires.

Our hope was rewarded when one day in the shrine to the Avatar of Old something miraculous happened. The statue's eyes began to glow. I turned to look at my friend Mitsuba. This could only mean one thing. The Avatar had returned.

Guren and my sister found him in the wilderness. He had escaped from the Vampire city ruled by Queen Krul Tepes. A small boy no older then me. With soft blond hair and blue eyes. As soon as he was put to bed I had to go see him. I touched his cheek and his soft blond hair. He was here. He was our hope.

'Mikaela' his eyes opened. He was alive. The Avatar.

Shinoa Hiiragi

Chapter One

The Queen's favorite

Yuichiro

Queen Krul has the appearance of a young teenage girl. However her hair is naturally pink and her eyes are red. She dresses in black elegant gowns with white colors. She is also very short even for a thirteen year old girl. She sits in her throne room welcoming her various officials, reports and other such business. There are many such men and women as her territory is vast and share a border with human controlled land. She only nods her head curtly and rarely speaks. Even while speaking however she always keeps a young man sitting to her right within her field of vision. Her favorite among her subjects human and otherwise. Her other subjects called this young man her little pet or sometimes her doll. He is wearing the same white uniform as most of the others. With black cuffs, shirt and knee high boots. His hair too is black. It was also jagged, growing out in different spikes. But his eyes are unusual for a vampire. Because they are green like the human Earth bender he once was. As Krul's meetings continue his breathing becomes heavier. The other vampire's glance at him. Especially when he starts to bend over. His hands clutching his stomach. He gasps. His breathing becoming even more quick. Krul sees this and stands.

'Leave us' she calls out, Her voice carried around and along the room to every set of ears human or otherwise. The last two to go are the guards at the door. Both are dressed in the same white uniform as the young man with the green eyes. One has purple hair, the other black. Both have red eyes.

'Of course the Queen wants alone time with her little pet' one said as he turned to leave the throne room.

'There is a rumor she even lets him drink her blood' said the other.

'She probably let him do more then just drink her blood'

'Are you implying that they fuck? That would be a first. Maybe they will have a little Vampire baby one day. They'll call it Carmillia, Dracula or something else real original'. The doors to the throne clammed shut. The Queen closed her eyes and focused on the room.

'There is no one here and none of them can see us' she said turning to her favorite 'I'll get some blood ready for you. How long has it been since you last drank?' He didn't answer but stumbled off his chair and somehow on to his feet. He hurried over to his Queen. He grabbed her by the collar of her dress. Ripping it open. His hand fisted in her long pink hair and pulled it back out of his way. He sank his two fangs into her throat. The Queen was unable to move for a minute as he drank. When he did she only embraced him and ran her fingers though his hair. 'You must have been thirsty my dear sweet Yuichiro. It's okay my sweet little boy drink your fill' she said. Yuichiro pushed away suddenly.

'Queen Krul' he said 'I'm sorry'.

'It's fine my sweet boy' she said 'you can drink as much as you like'. She took his hand in her own. 'But you must remember that one day and it may be soon that my blood will not be enough. You must drink the blood of a human'. Yuichiro didn't argue he simply hung his head.

'I know Krul' he said.

'You must still be thirsty' she said. She pulled his head back down to her neck and allowed him to continue drinking. 'My precious little Seraph'.

Krul dismissed him from her presence after he had silenced his thirst. Yuichiro headed back to his quarters. He was fortunate to have rooms to himself. Good ones at that, not as luxurious as Krul's but still. Outside the time he spent with the Queen at her apartments and his performing his duties he preferred to by himself. Krul disliked his loner status but had given up arguing with him about it years ago. As he entered his quarters he went straight to sleeping chamber. Vampires needed sleep just as humans did. He was no exception. But he didn't sleep in a coffin. He slept in a bed. He stripped down to his underwear and lie in his sheets. Before closing his eyes however he saw the book lying on his bedside cabinet-'The Collected Works of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Marlow and other great English writers'. Yuichiro closed his eyes.

'I can still see your face, I know you're out there' he said as he began to slip into dreamless sleep 'Mikaela'. The collected works had been his Mikaela's favourite book.

Yuichiro never had dreams since becoming a vampire. He was glad of that. He didn't need to review those scenes and those faces again. He did it enough during his waking hours. Mikaela, Akane, Taichi, Kota, Chihiro, Fumie and Ako. His fellow orphans, his family. All but one dead. He could still see the old house where they had lived after the Vampire's had brought them to the capital. Akane making them meals. Chihiro helping her. The younger four orphans would be playing some game. Yuichiro and Mikaela would be coming home after scavenging for some extra food. When they would sleep they huddled together in the loft. Even now he could still feel their embrace. It hadn't been Yuichiro's idea to escape but he should have talked Mikaela out of it. It was risky, stupid even. Yuichiro could see that now. But back then he had been full of fight.

'I will get strong' he said to Mikaela 'strong enough to kill all those blood suckers'.

'You can't kill them' Mikaela said in response 'they're too powerful, the only option is out smarting them'.

'Is that what you're doing giving your blood to that noble?' Yuichiro said.

'He pays me by getting extra food for us like that curry you all enjoyed' Mikaela said with a smile. Yuichiro snarled.

It had been Mikaela who had found the map and they could use their bending. Yuichiro's Earth, Akane's fire and Mikaela's water. Not that it made any difference having bending against a noble. Not against Ferid. As they entered the final catacomb preparing to step out into daylight he emerged from the shadows.

'I've been waiting for you my little lambs' he said 'the looks on your faces that's why I play this game'.

'It was a trap all along it was a trap' said Mikaela.

'Yes' said Ferid 'but I will give you one little ray of hope, that map is real if you can get past me that is.' With that the Seventh Progenitor swooped down on them going for the younger orphans first. His next move was for Akane as they tried to run away. She tried to fight using her fire bending but she was just a novice and no match for a vampire. He brushed inside her small fireballs with eyes and snapped her neck. He then next went for Yuichiro who tried to use his earth bending to shield himself. Encasing himself in hard rock. But Ferid's strong arms broke into such a barrier and wounded the young earth bender. Yuichiro coughed up blood and crumbled, the stones falling around his body. Ferid cornered Mikaela now. The young orphan stood against the ancient vampire.

'You tricked me this is all my fault' said Mikaela. Ferid smirked as he moved in on the boy. Mikaela hands clutched at the water pouch on his hip he could fight but there was no point. His eyes took in his family, the blood and Ferid. Then he felt nothing but rage at himself. He screamed then. Yuichiro watched from the floor as Mikaela's eyes started to glow white. His blond hair became seemed to shine. Ferid stopped in his movements his smile was gone. Mikaela lifted off the ground in a swirling mass of...air? Yuichiro had to blink. Mikaela was a water bender not an air bender. He couldn't be? Fire blow out of Mikaela's mouth. As though he wore a Dragon. With the force of over fifty men the hot circulating around the blond hit Ferid with a blast sending the Vampire flying. Ferid dropped down to the floor. Mikaela also landed on his feet. His hair and eyes returning to normal. He rushed toward Yuichiro.

'Maybe I can heal you' but Yuichiro was not having them all die. Yuichiro pushed Mikaela to the exit. They could see the sunlight from where they were.

'Go' Yuichiro said 'even if only one member of our family escapes then that makes this all worth it'.

'You finally called us family' said Mikaela.

'Just go you idiot now' screamed Yuichiro.

Mikaela burst into tears before running down the hall and out into daylight. Yuichiro would have been happy to die there and then. But before he could take his last breath he heard the sound of running footsteps.

'Lord Ferid has been burned by mere live stock' came the voices of grown men. As the men moved to gather up the bodies another voice rang out.

'Wait I've taken a special interest in the Raven haired one. He's still alive isn't he?'

'Yes my Queen' said the guards.

'What have you been doing Ferid did these children really manage to overpower you? A Seventh Progenitor?' came Krul's voice.

'I'm afraid so Queen Krul, my one true love they did' said Ferid as clambered to his feet 'it's been far too long'.

'What have you been doing with my Seraphs one has escaped and the other is lying here dying?' said Krul.

'If anyone has too explain themselves it's you Krul what are you doing with the Seraphs after all if I told the progenitor council about them'-he began.

'What?' she said.

'I said if I told the Progenitor Council'-he said. All I could hear then was the sound of running feet and blows.

'You're so violent Krul' Ferid said 'tearing off a limb hurts even if I can reattach it'.

'I trust you won't speak of this matter again?' she said.

'Of course not my lips are sealed' he said.

'They better be' she said.

' I value my life too much to risk crossing you' he said 'anyway I am tired of this little lovers spat. Goodbye Krul but don't worry you haven't seen the last of me after all I do love you'.

'Creep, the only thing you love about me is my power' said Krul. She stood over Yuichiro now. 'Hey human do you want to die? Because I can offer you eternal life'.

'Do you think I want to become a bloodsucker like you?' said Yuichiro.

'I see so you would rather bleed to death like your friends but you see I'm not giving you choice'. She kneeled down next to him. He could see a trickle of blood flowing past her lip. He felt he press her lips to his. He swallowed her blood. Then he saw nothing but white and then black.

Krul had saved him for lack of a better word. It was her kiss, her blood that restored him to life but not as a human. He awoke in her throne room much later. He sat up on his knees. Krul sat on her throne. A boy was laying face down in front of Yuichiro.

'Yuu, drink the blood of that human and then the last of your human biology will cease. You will become one of us. You will gain an ageless body and eternal life. A true Vampire. You will still be able to Earth bend, in fact your bending will become all the more sharp. More power then a human could ever know' she said.

'I will not become a Vampire' Yuichiro said. He was breathing hard. A pain in his stomach felt like the acid there had become lava.

'So you say but can you resist it? Your entire body must ache right now, you thirst so bad you can barely stand. Don't deny it let your desire take control' she said.

'Shut up' he gasped.

'Oh would you rather die then?' she said.

If my only other choice is being a vampire then yes I would rather die' he said.

'I see, maybe that wouldn't such a bad choice if it were possible but you see without blood we vampires transform into a senseless demon' she said. Yuichiro gazed at her with despair. 'But then again I can understand how a millennium being stuck in a too young body is not so wise a choice. However it is too late for you to die a normal death so' she tore a wound in her arm. Blood spilled onto the tiled floor. 'You could drink my blood instead. After all mine is not a human'. Yuichiro did so. 'Yes drink my little Seraph and you will be my dog forever Yuichiro Hyakuya'.

Because of that he still aged, his eyes remained green and he would one day die naturally. But as Krul herself said it wouldn't last. He had to one day drink from a human or else go insane. The last image he saw was of Mikaela.

'No matter where you are I will find you'. With that final thought he dropped into subconscious and for so many hours checked out from reality.

Yuichiro's duties were nothing too straining. He patrolled the city and palace with the other guards. He mainly worked in shifts with people such as Rene and Lucas. He didn't talk to them much. They mostly giggled about him being the Queen's kept boy. Today was no exception.

'So did you keep Queen Krul company?' said Lucas 'surely you've heard the rumours about her and you? Tell me do you really drink her blood and fuck her?'

Yuichiro didn't care he simply gave one of the Vampire Noble's Ferid a wide berth. However if Ferid sought him out there was little he could do about it. But as it happened this rarely occurred. Yuichiro was glad of that. In his off hours Yuichiro either stayed at his apartment or else he went to the place were his family had died. But today he decided to pay a visit to his old home in the human part of the city. The old house looked deserted. He could still taste the curry that Akane had made for them. He moved up the step to go inside but before he could the door opened and a boy stood there. He froze as he saw Yuichiro.

'It's okay' Yuichiro said as he moved to ruffle the boy's the hair but the boy's sister grabbed him and drew away from the vampire. Yuichiro turned and left then. There was no point. So he wet to the only other place he felt connected to his family. In the catacombs leading to the outside world. He often stood in the spot where his brothers and sister had died where he himself had lost his humanity. He swallowed.

'Yuu' came a voice 'Yuu'. Yuichiro felt his spine straighten. His hand clutched at his sword. 'I thought I would find you here'. Ferid stepped into the hall. He was smiling. His long silver hair fell over his shoulder out of it's usual ponytail. He resembled a man in his late twenties. Yuichiro withdrew his sword.

'What do you want?' said Yuichiro.

'Now come now' said Ferid 'I'm here with good news we've found your little friend. Mikaela but alas as feared he has fallen into the hands of those monstrous humans. I told you no one could stay hidden forever. But the most interesting piece of information is that the Humans believe him to be some kind of God. I wonder how will you continue your story?'. Yuichiro didn't lower his sword but his cheeks felt wet. 'Are you crying? Dear Yuu you truly are unusual. Anyway Queen Krul told me to tell you that there will be an assemble tonight and she expect her little pet to be among those in attendance.' Ferid walked walked away with his usual swish in his lip. Yuichiro waited until he was far enough ahead and then sheathed his sword and followed the vampire noble.

'One day Ferid' Yuichiro thought as he walked back to the city 'I will be strong enough to kill you, I might not have been strong enough to protect my family back then but I will become stronger'.

The hall were Krul gathered her vampire subjects was huge. Many of those here were Progenitors but others were common vampires with high battle status. As the sired of Queen Krul herself Yuichiro of course was in attendance. Krul stood upon the stage. Her voice was carried through out the whole room to each and everyone of the vampires present. Krul's human subjects would not be allowed to attend such a meeting.

'Greetings my fellow Vampires' came Krul's voice resounding around the room to every ear just like it had back in the throne room.

'The humans over the border have been flexing their muscles. They are conducting experiments on the forbidden blood of the Seraph. They believe they have found the mythical Avatar in a young boy. The same young boy who escaped from here four years ago. Mikeala Shindo. They see him as their weapon to deprive us Vampires of what we fought for, what is ours by right of conquest. But that is not going to happen as we're going to war. We're going to take down the last of human resisters and claim the whole Kingdom of Terra for ourselves'.

Krul's announcement was mate with applause that was like lighting. Except the electricity of the lighting did not fade but kept going on and on.

'We'll bring down the Avatar and with him the last of the human hope for defeating Vampires. To protect the stability of this world we will bring an end to humans'.

The crowd of hungry Vampires screeched their approval. All but one that is. Yuichiro stood where he was his hand clutching the Iron railing. He turned then and left. He headed straight to Krul's rooms where he waited for her. She came presently after her rally with the other vampires. She came presently enough dressed in her bed cloths.

'Do you need some blood my dear?' she said.

'No' he said 'why didn't you tell me Mikaela was the Avatar? Why are you hunting him?' he said 'you promised me you would protect him. I never should have trusted a Vampire Queen. You did this to me after all'. He pointed to his fangs.

'Oh come now' said Krul 'you're being melodramatic being a Vampire is not all bad better then being one of those power hungry humans at any right'.

'What do you intend to do with Mikaela Krul?' Yuichiro said 'and with me? You were meant to kill those with the Seraph blood why would you keep us alive?'

'Because I have my own plans separate from that of the Progenitor council' she said.

'Which are? Do you intend on hurting Mikaela' he said.

'No, I like you and your old friend but more importantly I need you both alive for my plans' she said.

'What plan?' Yuichiro said.

'Calm yourself' said Krul 'and come here' she opened her arms for him. Yuichiro hesitated but then stepped into her embrace. He buried his face into the crook of her neck. She whispered to him into his ear. They drew apart.

'So that is your plan?' he said.

'Yes it is' she said 'I will be giving you a fundamental part to play but right now we both need rest'. She slipped into her bed and becked for him to join her. He did so. Krul had him do this before but it was not often. They slipped into the dreamless void that is sleep for vampires together.

Lucas and Rene continued their patrol of the city but they were one man short.

'The Queen's pet must be with her tonight enjoying her bed' said Lucas. Rene snorted.

'Unlikely they are both vampires after all. We only desire blood'.

'Well at least on of those vampires refuses human blood and the Queen is thousands of years old who knows what she get up to' said Rene.

'I would advice against talking that way about Queen Krul' said Ferid, the two guards turned to see him with that twisted smile on his face 'she dislikes gossip after all especially about her'.

Mikaela

Mikaela ran and ran. His feet hurt as he rushed toward the exit. He nearly fell as he reached the outside. The ground was soft and white. He picked up a fist full of it. It was cold. Freezing.

'Snow' he whispered. 'I made it. I actually made it'. He was ready to faint. But he struggled to his feet. He turned to his see men dressed in black heading towards him. They had large brisk polar bear dogs with them. Finally when they reached him, they looked at him. Then a man spoke.

'Is this it? He's the Avatar? He's the master of all four elements?'

'Yes he is' said a woman's voice 'she stepped forward holding a small crystal in one hand'.

'He is the one who will defeat the Vampires' said the man.

'I know he is not what we were expecting but he is a start' she said. She stepped towards Mikaela 'my name is Mahiru Hiiragi tell me boy do you want to defeat those vampires?' she said.

'Yes' said Mikaela.

'Then follow us' said the man 'my name is Guren Inchinose'.

'Will you give me the power to kill vampires?' Mikaela.

'No' said Mahiru 'you already have that power we will teach how to use it'. The was the last Mikaela would remember because after nodding a simply yes he collapsed from exhaustion. When he awoke he was in a warm room with a fire burning the grate. The woman Mahiru was bending over him.

'You gave rather a scare there kid' she said. Mikaela turned to see someone else in the room. A young girl with lavender hair and eyes.

'Hello' she said 'I'm Shinoa'