Korra gasped as she heard that insane laughter again. She drifted through the darkness, listening to the laughter. Suddenly a massive head covered by a hood appeared, a patterned mask accompanying the face.
"I told you I'd destroy you," Amon said as he reached for Korra.
His hand stopped just as it touched her face, and Korra woke, gasping.
"Korra?" asked Tenzin from outside her room. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah!" replied the Avatar. "I'm fine!"
"Well then come on out! You're late for your Airbending training!"
Korra quickly swung off the bed and got into her usual tank top, cargo pants and boots. She opened the door and jogged outside, thinking about her dreams.
Why was she dreaming of Amon? The guy was dead. True, they'd never found his body, but they had found the boat that he and Tarrlok had blown up in. Then why was she having these nightmares? She doubted it was her mental instability, so it could maybe be Aang or another Avatar trying to warn her about something. But if the guy was dead…
"Ah, Korra, there you are," said Tenzin. "Let's begin. A simple spar involving Air-Scooters."
"Sure thing, Tenzin," said Korra. She didn't know it, but at that precise moment, someone was arriving in Republic City, someone who was going to be the key to changing everything, someone linked to what was going on in the world.
But most importantly, someone who was going to change Korra's life forever.
XXX
Ryu sighed as he leant on the railing of the boat and saw Republic City coming ever closer. He turned his head and saw the huge statue of Aang in the distance.
"Back to the home you built, Aang," Ryu said. "I'll keep it safe for you, and your legacy… old friend." Ryu smiled and looked back at the beautiful city coming closer towards him
XXX
The first thing Ryu did when he arrived at Republic City was go to the Probending Arena. He smiled as he saw the golden building. The next thing he had to do was figure out a place to stay. He had lots of money on him for a hotel, but then an idea struck him. He turned and saw Air Temple Island.
Why bother with a hotel when your friends' house was right there? But it was already getting dark. He would ask in the morning.
Ryu went to a hotel with an amazing view of the city, paid his fill and went to his room. It was easy to go up since all he was carrying was a light duffel bag. He jumped onto bed and flicked through the newspaper. He widened his eyes as he saw the multiple headlines.
Robbery on 5th street. Killing in western division. Agni-Kai and Triple Threat Triad's gang war leaves dozens killed and wounded.
Wow. Avatar Korra was doing well, but there was no denying the fact that Republic City was still a Crime Infested Rat- Hole. Ryu sighed, flicked the page. His heart nearly stopped as he read the headline:
WHERE IS DEATH?
People of Republic City are baffled at the fact that the masked vigilante known as Death not appeared, despite the crime rates in the city heightening and rising exponentially.
"We will have this city back to the way Avatar Aang wanted it to be," assured Lin Bei Fong, Chief Policewoman.
However, the civilian population, (Benders and Non-Benders alike), all mostly believe that since Avatar Aang is dead, and Avatar Korra is busy training, the only real person capable of truly restoring balance and peace to the city s the masked vigilante known as Death.
Ryu widened his eyes and involuntarily began reading the next paragraph.
WHO AND WHERE IS DEATH?
For the citizens who are unaware, the vigilante Death has been saving and helping people and reducing criminal acts since 5 years before Republic City was finished being built. It was often discussed that Death is quite old, but every time he has been spotted he always seems like a normal young man.
The pattern for Death's appearances have always been the same: he would appear for a few months, perhaps a year, then would disappear for years on end, once everything had cooled down.
However, many are fearful and outraged as Death has never let Republic City sink so deep in crime ever before. Vigilante Death has even fought alongside Avatar Aang, who had this to say after Death reappeared in Republic City once again 30 years ago:
"Some among us believe that Death is a criminal who should be put down, or at the very least, imprisoned. But I personally know him, and believe that he deserves to be treated well as a free citizen. In fact, I have made a request to him to reveal his identity, but he prefers to that little fact a secret, which I respect."
However, Lin Bei Fong has made it quite clear that she does not approve the slightest bit about Death.
"Anyone that powerful cannot be trusted. I believe this vigilante should be taken in and properly questioned," said the Chief.
She was of course, referring to Death's uncanny ability to bend more than one element, despite not being an Avatar.
Death has been seen mostly bending Water, Fire Earth, and, on one extremely violent occasion, was said by and old civilian that he had bent Air.
Whatever the case though, almost all the civilians believe that with all this terrible crime hanging over their heads, that Death is needed in the City once again, myself included.
Rika Uryu, Daily News.
Ryu sighed as he let the newspaper fall to the floor next to him. He rubbed his eyes as he got up and looked out at the beautiful city. The beautiful, crime infested city.
He turned his head a fraction and looked in the direction of his bag. He had sworn to never let Death show his face ever again, but it seemed that the city needed him. More now than ever. He sighed and walked to his bag.
There goes my quiet night, he thought.
But Ryu didn't know, not even then, that an evil so horrible was coming, not even he could save the city from it.
And in the end, he would just have to see the world burn.
XXX
"Hey!" yelled the man. "C'mere! C'mere! Damn it, stop!"
The woman screamed as she ran through the dark rainy night. The three men ran easily after her, lustful grins on their faces. The woman ran into an alley and gasped as she came to a dead end.
The men caught up to her and grabbed her handbag. They turned it over, spilling the goods everywhere. They searched and found only a few notes.
"The hell?" said one guy. "There's barely, like, 20 yuans in here!"
"Yeah!" said another. "She's useless!"
The third guy smiled and stepped close to the girl, taking out his pocket knife. "Maybe not totally useless," he said lustfully.
The woman screamed, the men laughed, and then a new voice spoke: "I really woldt do that if I were you."
The three men and the woman looked at the newcomer. He wore black denim trousers, scuffed combat boots, and a belt with a gleaming silver belt buckle, shaped like a cross within a circle. He had a crisp white shirt with high, sharp collars, a dark jacket with the hood up, and a black mask covering the bottom half of his face.
"Piss off, before we get your blood on or hands," said the lead guy.
"Nah, don't feel like it," said the hooded man.
The lead guy snarled as a ball of fire flared up in his hand.
"You can still leave," said the hooded man.
The man sneered. "Screw you," he said, and hurled the fireball.
The man waited until the opportune moment, then flung his arms inwards, sending thin twin jets of water crashing into the sides of the fireball, extinguishing it in a burst of steam and smoke and hot water.
Another guy yelled and summoned water from the puddles and rain around him, and sent a miniature wave hurtling towards the hooded man.
The man calmly swept his foot across the ground, and a wall of earth rose just ahead of him, the water crashing against it. The figure bent the water against the wall with astonishing speed, him having it move to his sides and engulfing his fists. He bent the earthen wall back down at the same time that he sent the water from his fists into a highly pressurized hosing move, straight into the chest of the waterbender, blasting him back into the wall. The figure froze the water, trapping the man against the wall.
The remaining two men gasped and stepped back, suddenly unsure.
"N-No way," stammered the first. "You're-you're-you're Death! Dude, no way we can fight him!"
The other guy shook his head and snarled. "You don't scare me," he said. He yelled and raised his fists, and the earth that Death stood on suddenly rose up. Death widened his eyes and jumped back, defending against the oncoming onslaught. He deflected the first rock, ducked under the second, and dodged the third by pure luck. However, a small one hit him in the back by chance, and Death's anger flared.
His eyes flooded with a deep, deep, crimson, the pupils becoming the darkest black. He looked into the earthbenders body, and saw all his physical weaknesses.
He sliced the oncoming rocks with a water whip, blasted the final one apart with fire, and sent the whip into his opponents' side. The guy gasped, lost his balance, but shook his head and tried to regain it.
The fight was taking too long, so Death decided to end it. He jumped back, red eyes gleaming. Lightning flashed behind him, and he pointed his two fingers at the earthbender. Lightning shot from his fingers, blasting the man into the wall. Death bent he earth in the wall, trapping him there.
The final man licked his lips, deciding that bending was too dangerous. He took out his pocket knife and charged, yelling a battle cry.
Death raised an eyebrow and the earth at the firebenders rose, slamming him sideways into the wall. Death repeated his earth-trapping routine. He picked up the lady's handbag, dusted it off and handed it back to her.
The lady looked t Death in amazement as she took the bag back and stood in the heavy rain. She gazed into his blood-red eyes, and imagined him smiling under the mask. He pressed something on his belt, an there was a faint whistling sound.
"You won't get away with this," said the firebender faintly.
Death raised an eyebrow. "That so?"
"The Triple-Threats will be after you for this."
"In case you haven't noticed, I can defend myself pretty alright."
"They'll be after you."
"I'll be waiting." Death pulled something of his pocket, a silver cross within a circle. He firebent his hand, passing heat into the symbol. He pressed it against the man's neck. He screamed, the symbol's shape burned into his skin. Death did the sam to the wall, and scribbled on a little piece of paper, tucked it into the man's shirt.
Death lifted into the air, half boosting with earthbending, and half flying with firebending.
The lady looked at him in amazement, the same time she heard the metalbender police sirens.
XXX
Ryu huffed as he ran and jumped across the rooftops. He flung himself off a building and and landed on the side of a skyscraper. He sprinted to the top and backflipped, landed in a crouch. He got up and looked at the blimps and trucks retrieving the three criminals.
Ryu's eyes turned red as he peered harder. 30 metalbenders, all experienced. One lady, talking to them, no doubt telling them about Death. And three sore criminals, one of which had a burn on his neck.
Ryu saw with his enhanced vision that it was still warm. He actually smiled when he saw the fiebender splutter as he read the piece of paper Ryu had given him.
He knew what the firebender was reading: Death kicked your ass.
Ryu frowned as he saw Lin Bei Fong inspect the burn on the wall. She knew and tolerated Ryu, but she didn't know Death and was sure to be out to get him. He would have to be more cautious from now on. Ryu turned on the roof and headed back to the hotel. He had made his comeback. Now all he had to o was wait for the headlines.